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 fir$\ trtsh^tmu Church -Urbawa, Illinois 
 
MIKUS HISTORY SIKWf 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/centennialhistorOOclar 
 
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 CENTENNIAL HISTORY 
 
 The First Presbyterian Church 
 
 URBANA, ILLINOIS 
 
 1856-1956 
 
Foreword: 1856-1956 
 
 Twenty-five years have passed since Dean Clark wrote 
 his interesting and informative History of the First Presby- 
 terian CJutreh, Urbana, Illinois — the church which he and 
 Mrs. Clark loved and to which they gave so much in so 
 many ways. During this quarter of a century many important 
 events have occurred : gratifying, heartening events in the 
 history of the church. Inevitably, too, there have been times 
 of trial and of loss ; for Dean Clark and a goodly number of 
 his contemporaries are no longer to be seen in their accus- 
 tomed places in the sanctuary. They are sorely missed. Yet 
 what a heritage they have bequeathed ! What a call to 
 Christian service the record of their lives ! 
 
 The year 1956 marks the end of the first century of organ- 
 ized Presbyterianism in Urbana. The event calls for special 
 recognition : for honoring those who have built so well ; for 
 recording the history, that it may fulfill its role of "teaching 
 by example" ; for taking stock of the present, that the future 
 may be made even brighter and better. 
 
 As part of the Centennial Year observation, therefore, a 
 supplement to Dean Clark's history has been prepared. It is 
 based upon the contributions of a number of persons, so that 
 no one or two "authors" can claim it ; nor, by the same token, 
 can they be blamed for omissions which are inevitable or for 
 errors which are probable! It is by no means a complete 
 history. Rather, it but summarizes the outstanding incidents 
 and achievements, those that are believed to be of the greatest 
 interest and importance. It leaves out a thousand personal 
 details that might be included — humorous, sad, inspiring, 
 endearing. These will remain unwritten history, by no means 
 unimportant to those who cherish them in their memories. 
 
THE HISTORY OF 
 
 The First Presbyterian Church 
 
 URBANA, ILLINOIS 
 
 1856-1931 
 
 r^fe 
 
 BY 
 
 THOMAS ARKLE CLARK 
 
Thomas Arkle Clark 
 
C 3 33 
 
 HE first settler in what is now Urbana was, according 
 to the most authentic history, Runnel Fielder, who came 
 to the community in 1822. Just where he came from, no 
 one now seems to know. He built a small cabin near the 
 "Blackberry Schoolhouse" and proceeded to cultivate the 
 soil. His son was probably the first person to conduct a school in 
 Champaign county. In eight or nine years he moved on to Tazewell 
 county and passed out of history. 
 
 At about the same time as Runnel Fielder settled in this locality, 
 though a little later, William Tompkins squatted on a tract of land, 
 and built his cabin near where the Courier building now stands and 
 on the bank of the creek whose course can still be traced through the 
 town. These two are known as the "first settlers" of Urbana. 
 
 There were no well developed roads in those days. The Illinois 
 Central Railroad had not been thought of, and if one needed to 
 buy clothing or groceries he could do so only by picking his way 
 over trails on foot or horse back a hundred miles or so to towns 
 already established. Later the settlers in and about Urbana, when 
 they needed supplies, traveled a rude and sinuous road, climbing 
 hills and fording streams on the way to Chicago where they could 
 find market for their produce and buy the merchandise which they 
 needed. 
 
 For a good many years after Fielder and Tompkins began to 
 cultivate the soil there were few people living in what later became 
 Champaign county. Houses were far apart, visiting and communi- 
 cation of any sort was difficult. Urbana as a village was not organ- 
 ized until 1833. Even then there were few settlers, most of the 
 people who could have been said to form a part of the village, being 
 farmers who lived near the site of the established county seat. Neigh* 
 bors were still few and far between, and travel from one place to 
 another involved untold hardships and difficulties. There was little 
 money in the country, and people had quite all that they could do to 
 make a living. Churches there were none, and, had there been, there 
 would have been little use for them, for settlers were too far apart 
 for easy or possible coming together, and there was neither time nor 
 money available for religious activities. 
 
 The Baptists and the Methodists were the first religious pioneers 
 in Champaign county. Wandering circuit riders and evangelists of 
 these two denominations began early to make their way across the 
 unbroken prairies toward the wooded tracts on or near which the 
 first settlers built their cabins. These men came unannounced, and 
 
 [3] 
 
they asked for nothing except for lodging, a little food, and a chance 
 to preach in private houses or in the open air wherever a few peo- 
 ple could be gathered together. 
 
 The story is told of one of these itinerant saints, that he eked out 
 a precarious livelihood by bringing with him from Indiana a load of 
 whiskey — good whiskey, too, it was alleged to be, — which he had 
 bought for twenty cents a gallon and which he retailed at an ad- 
 vance in price to thirsty souls of the little congregations which 
 gathered to hear him expound the gospel, thus, on the side, making 
 an honest living, as he saw it, while he gave his regular time to evan- 
 gelistic work. The times and the ideas of some of us as regards tem- 
 perance have changed since then. 
 
 John Dunham, a minister of the United Brethren denomination, 
 was probably the first preacher who came to Champaign county. 
 In 1831, Judge J. O. Cunningham, in his history of Champaign 
 county, says, Dunham preached a sermon at the home of one of 
 the settlers, and from time to time repeated his visits. The story is 
 told that he rode an ox from place to place and that while he roared 
 and bellowed within, as these early preachers were wont to do, the 
 ox, tied to a sapling, roared and bellowed without. 
 
 John G. Robinson, an immigrant from Kentucky, was among the 
 first Baptists to hold meetings for religious instruction. A Baptist 
 church was, in 1838, organized at the Brumley school house, two 
 miles east of Urbana, and another, in 1839, at Farmer City, but 
 this latter organization soon changed to Mahomet. The Mahomet 
 Baptists built a church in 1841. 
 
 The Reverend James Holmes was the first Methodist minister 
 to come to the Urbana settlement, which he did in 1835. Holmes 
 not only preached, but he also followed the trade of mill-wright and 
 built a grist mill for John Brownfield, one of the early settlers. It 
 was he who, probably in 1836, organized the first Methodist class 
 in this county. This class was the forerunner of the first Methodist 
 Episcopal church of Urbana. The Urbana Mission, organized in 
 1839, as the result of a camp meeting held on the banks of the 
 creek one mile east of Urbana, marked the real beginning of Method- 
 ism in this community. Upon the organization of this Mission the 
 Reverend Arthur Bradshaw was put in charge. The writer of this 
 history, as a little boy, remembers hearing Mr. Bradshaw preach in 
 a district school house in the neighborhood in north-eastern Cham- 
 paign county in which he was living. 
 
 In his autobiography Mr. Bradshaw tells of his coming to 
 Urbana. 
 
 "My next appointment (1839)", he says, "was Urbana Mission. This 
 caused a move of one hundred and fifty miles. We were compelled to move 
 
 [4] 
 
Aaron Bennett 
 
 Judge A. M. Ayres 
 
 Thomas S. Hubbard 
 
in an ox wagon, camp out about half of the nights, and take the weather as it 
 came; so we had rain, wind, and storm. When we arrived in Urbana, our 
 goods were all wet, a fierce wind blowing from the north-west, and no 
 empty house in town. We took up lodging for a few days with Simon Motes, 
 in his cabin in the north part of the village. The little society and friends had 
 put up the body of a hewed log cabin with rafters, but no roof, floor or 
 chimney. 
 
 "In 1840 we put up the frame of a small church, thirty by forty feet, in 
 Urbana, and enclosed it ; and in the fall, as I was leaving for my next ap- 
 pointment, I was sued for the shingles that went on the church." 
 
 There was a parsonage built, also, for the minister, and it is 
 described by Judge Cunningham : 
 
 "The 'parsonage', partly prepared, was finished with a split-board roof, 
 floors of the same kind, and a mud and stick chimney, and here the pastor 
 and his family were housed when the first church built within the county 
 was commenced and so far completed as to be occupied." 
 
 This church was located on the south side of Elm street between 
 Market (now Broadway) and Race on a lot donated by the county 
 commissioners. Nancy Webber's timber furnished the logs, and 
 Colonel Busey's saw-mill got them into shape. The structure, except- 
 ing a small space where the pulpit and the "amen corners" were 
 located, was neither floored nor plastered. 
 
 "In this condition," Judge Cunningham says, "with neither windows nor 
 doors, and with no other seats than those afforded by the uncovered sleepers 
 or joists, hewn upon the upper side, was the structure occupied by a worship- 
 ping congregation for the first summer and, perhaps, for a longer period when 
 the weather permitted. It was not until 1843 that the building was finally 
 completed according to the original plan, being floored, plastered and seated 
 with wide slab benches. The final work had been done by free contributions 
 of labor and materials. It is said that Colonel Busey gave the flooring, 
 Archa Campbell the glass, and Matthias Carson, a skilled mechanic, the win- 
 dow sash and door. 
 
 "In its finished condition it was unpainted, both inside and outside, un- 
 til two zealous sisters — Harriet Harvey and Susan Cantner — with discrimi- 
 nating zeal for outside appearances, unassisted by any one, whitewashed the 
 entire outside of the house as well as the rough plastering on the inside, using 
 a preparation of lime and other ingredients, including among them salt. The 
 building looked well in its coat of whitewash, but the town cows, then quite 
 numerous, (and not restrained by any city ordinance from roaming at will 
 until the early nineties) lost to all reverence for the sacred structure, were 
 tempted by the salt to lick the clapboards which they persisted in doing so 
 long as the saline taste remained. At times, owing to this practice of the 
 cows, a worshipping congregation was disturbed, and, to secure their legal 
 rights it became necessary to station a guard of boys upon the outside dur- 
 ing service." 
 
 This church was sold in 1856 for $350. A new church having 
 been built on the corner of Race and Green streets where the beauti- 
 ful Methodist church stands today, the old building was made over 
 and used for years to house a livery stable. 
 
 [61 
 
It was under such trying conditions as these that religious organ- 
 izations in early times gained a foothold in Uibana. 
 
 The Presbyterian church was not so quick in establishing itself in 
 this community as were the Methodists and the Baptists. It was not 
 until 1850 that the first Presbyterian organization was formed in 
 Champaign county. The Reverend John A. Steele under the author- 
 ity of the Presbytery of Palestine, according to Judge Cunningham, 
 made the organization. It is not unlikely that at the beginning some 
 of the members who later helped to form the Urbana church were 
 members of the Champaign church. For a time the Champaign 
 church held its services in the Illinois Central depot building. 
 
 If a definite record of the founding of the Urbana church was 
 originally kept, that record has been lost. The first authentic minutes 
 of the Session of the church bear the date of November 3, 1866. 
 There is, however, this record made in the minutes of the Board of 
 Trustees : 
 
 "Whereas upon inquiry and examination in January and Febru- 
 ary, 1875, the Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana, 
 Illinois, are satisfied that there has never been kept a record of the 
 proceedings of the Board of Trustees, nor of the Congregational 
 meetings of said church, it is deemed advisable that all information 
 and memoranda relating to the temporal affairs of the church which 
 can be obtanied, be engrossed and that hereafter the secretary be 
 required to keep a fair record." 
 
 It was from this record then made and recorded in the hand- 
 writing of Mrs. Thomas S. Hubbard, and from that which follows, 
 that this history has been compiled. 
 
 In the records of the Champaign county court house we find the 
 following record : 
 
 "Be it remembered, that on this 28th day of January, 1857, in accordance 
 with notice previously given, the constituent members of the society of the 
 first Presbyterian Church of the city of Urbana, met for the purpose of elect- 
 ing a Board of Trustees, for said society, to be known as and styled the Board 
 of Trustees of the First Presbyterian church of Urbana, to have and (to) 
 exercise all the rights and privileges unto them conferred by statute in 
 such cases made and provided. 
 
 "Which action resulted as follows in manner and length of time as is 
 hereby certified to over our respective hands and seals. 
 
 For One Year For Two Years For Three Years 
 
 T. S. Hubbard L. M. Cutcheon W. N. Coler 
 
 Asa Gere E. Boyden A. M. Ayres 
 
 Elisha Harkness S. M. Noel A. Lyons" 
 
 This record was certified to by A. M. Ayers and sworn to and 
 subscribed before William H. Somers, county clerk. 
 
 According to fhe History of Champaign county compiled by 
 Brink, McDonough & Co., of Philadelphia, which differs in its 
 
 [7] 
 
statements from those in Judge Cunningham's accounts, the First 
 Presbyterian Church of Urbana was organized under the direction 
 of Presbytery by the Reverend Thayer Newell in the fall of 1850. 
 Previous to this time, the history relates, but one Presbyterian 
 sermon had been preached in Champaign county and that was by the 
 Reverend E. H. Lynn, in 1838. Mr. H. F. Bouen was the first 
 minister. He was sent by Presbytery and employed for six months, 
 but his health failed, and the church was left vacant at the end of 
 three months. After Mr. Bouen left, there were no regular services 
 held until July, 1851, when Mr. Robert Lilly came and remained a 
 little more than a year. There is no record of services from Novem- 
 ber, 1852, until May, 1854, when the Reverend E. K. Lynn began his 
 work as stated supply. The following June twenty-eight persons 
 united with the church. Services were held in the court house and 
 the school house until the latter part of July, 1854. About this time, 
 or earlier, the Illinois Central Railroad was completed to Champaign, 
 (then called West Urbana) and services were often held in the depot 
 building. From that date only occasional services were held until 
 the fall of 1856. It should be said that the organization which 
 flourished with more or less enthusiasm from 1850 to 1856 was 
 composed of members of the old school branch of the church. The 
 members of the organization of the Urbana church as it now exists 
 were of the new school. 
 
 In December, 1856, December 21 is probably the exact date, the 
 Reverend Isaac P. Stryker, of Rome, New York, came and preached 
 for the group of Presbyterians residing in Urbana. This meeting 
 was held in the basement of the old Methodist church at the south- 
 east corner of Race and Green Streets. It was at this time, that the 
 present church was organized. The church roll as published at that 
 time contained twenty-nine names as follows : 
 
 Alex. M. Ayres Mrs. Geo. Nichols 
 
 Mrs. Alex M. Ayres Mrs. William Nichol 
 
 Samuel M. Noel Mrs - Sarah Black 
 
 Mrs. Samuel M. Noel Thomas Rea 
 
 Thomas S. Hubbard Mrs ' Thomas Rea 
 
 Mrs. Thomas S. Hubbard 
 
 Robert Anderson 
 Mrs. Robert Andeison 
 Mrs. Aseneth Snyder Mrs Louisa Gorman 
 
 Mrs. Isabella Hunt Mrs . Mahlon Lindley 
 
 Miss Mary Hall Mrs. Anna Crutcheon 
 
 James T. Rittenhouse James A. Maynard 
 
 Mrs. James T. Rittenhouse Mrs. James A. Maynard 
 C. S. Vickers Isaac P. Stryker 
 
 Mrs. C. S. Vickers Mrs. Isaac P. Stryker 
 
 George Nichols Mrs. Glenn. 
 
 It is rather interesting to note that none of these members were 
 
 [8] 
 
young people. Indeed, the first twenty-five years of the church's 
 activity showed the names of very few young people upon the church 
 roll. 
 
 At the time of the organization of the church three ruling elders 
 were elected. These were Thomas S. Hubbard, Judge A. M. Ayres, 
 and Samuel M. Noel. A few years later (in 1866), Aaron Bennett 
 was added to the list. The administration of these men was a very 
 remarkable one. They were all men of education and refinement ; 
 they had influence and standing in the community and they won the 
 respect of their neighbors. For more than thirty years they formed 
 the spiritual and financial backbone of the church. Judge Ayres was 
 one of the leading jurists of the county. His residence still stands at 
 the southeast corner of Lincoln and Illinois Streets — dignified and 
 impressive as he was himself, — and two of his daughters, Miss Addie 
 Ayres and Miss Sigourney Ayers, are still active members of this 
 church. He was for the first fifteen years superintendent of the 
 Sunday School. Mr. Hubbard was a New Englander, born and 
 bred. He was a graduate of Yale University with the class of 1849 
 and came to Urbana with his wife in 1854 when college men were 
 rare in this part of the middle west. The visiting ministers, Judge 
 Cunningham says, "were entertained at his home to such an extent 
 that it became known among the pioneers as 'The Minister's Hotel'." 
 Mr. Bennett was of sturdy stock also. Early in life he came across 
 country from New Jersey, the state of his birth, to Indiana, making 
 the journey in a covered wagon. He came to Illinois in 1855, and 
 was one of the early members of the Champaign Presbyterian 
 church. Of Mr. Noel not so much is known. He was the faithful 
 clerk of the Session for more than twenty years, and his accurate 
 records have helped to make this history possible. He withdrew 
 from the Urbana church in the late seventies to take up his residence 
 in Wichita, Kansas. 
 
 Judge Ayres' term of office was from 1857 to 1887; Mr. Bennett 
 served the church from 1866 to 1888 when he died, and Mr. Hub- 
 bard's term of office, barring an interval of four years when he 
 returned to Connecticut, was from 1857 to 1902. 
 
 These men were the sole ruling elders of the church during 
 almost half of its history. They were gentlemen of the old school, in 
 manners and dress, these three. It is quite unlikely that any one of 
 them ever wore a soft collar or a colored shirt. They carried the 
 church over its difficulties ; they came forward generously with con- 
 tributions when financial ruin seemed imminent ; they were active in 
 season and out of season, and the church today owes to them its life. 
 
 One of his friends, writing of Mr. Hubbard at the time of his 
 death, says: 
 
 [9] 
 
"He was an elder indeed as well as in word. This church owes to him 
 far more than its present members, who have come here in recent years, know 
 anything about. In the days of his prime, ere the weakness and infirmities 
 of old age laid hands upon him, he was a veritable pillar of strength in this 
 organization. Many is the time, when, but for him, the doors of the church 
 would have closed. He knew no limit in his liberality but the needs of the 
 church. I am told by more than one willing witness that he has given 
 as high as five or six hundred dollars a year to keep the candle of the Lord 
 burning on this altar. As one of his old friends said to me yesterday, 'Mr. 
 Hubbard stood on the outer wall for many years, and bore the brunt of battle 
 for the church. Nay', he went on, 'it is not too much to say that but for Mr. 
 Hubbard's liberality, this church would not be in existence as an organiza- 
 tion now.' 
 
 "Often he has taken out of his pocket, funds to pay the pastor's salary 
 and to meet arrearages — money that others had promised and failed to pay. 
 And in all his liberality, his lifelong habit of silence about what he did, often 
 left tine church in ignorance of what he had done. To this day there are few 
 in the church who know any thing like the extent of that liberality. His 
 habits of silence made him averse to public demonstrations of his religious 
 experiences. His faith was his own between him and his God, but the life of 
 public and private righteousness which he lived, tells the story." 
 
 The resolutions of the Session following Mr. Hubbard's death 
 may well have a place here : 
 
 "Whereas, God has seen fit to take from our midst, Thomas S. Hubbard, 
 charter member of this church, and for over forty years elder, 
 "Resolved, that we hereby recognize and praise God for the long service and 
 faithful labors of our co-elder, Mr. Thomas S. Hubbard. We desire to record 
 our high estimate of his honorable place as a citizen in this community, of his 
 faithful performance of duty as an elder in this church, and of the sterling 
 worth of his Christian character. 
 
 "There were many years when he was the chief support of the church. 
 There were periods of weakness in the life of this church, when but for his 
 generous giving and unstinted activity as elder and trustee, the candle would 
 have gone out on the Lord's altar in this organization. And while during 
 recent years, owing to the weakness of ill health and of advancing age, he 
 was not able to do as much as he once did, yet he has ever evinced an un- 
 tiring interest in the welfare of the church, and continued his generous sup- 
 port. His help and strength we hereby gratefully acknowledge, and for his 
 Christian life and character we humbly praise God." 
 
 Shortly after the Reverend Mr. Stryker had organized the church 
 he was engaged to preach for the new congregation, and he returned 
 to Ohio to bring his family to Urbana, He began his ministrations in 
 March, 1857. At first only Sunday afternoon services were held, and 
 these took place in the old Baptist church which, in 1895, was 
 removed to give place to the present church which stands on the 
 northwest corner of Race and Illinois Streets. The organization 
 started in a very humble way. Mr. Hubbard, in writing of their 
 simple beginning, says : 
 
 "Our little church prospered, and many were added to our numbers. Our 
 social meetines were well attended, and all worked in the interests of this 
 branch of Zion." 
 
 [10] 
 
The story is told that at one of the early communion services of 
 the newly organized church, Mrs. H. C. Butler, of Meriden, Con- 
 necticut, mother of Mrs. T. S. Hubbard, was a visitor at the service. 
 The communion service at that time consisted of ordinary table 
 china, and the wine was passed in glass .tumblers. Mrs. Butler was 
 deeply touched at the sight of the humble service, and, when she 
 returned home, she and some friends whose interest she solicited, sent 
 to the church the silver service part of which is still in existence and 
 which was used for more than thirty years. 
 
 Mrs. Stryker, wife of the pastor, died in 1859, leaving six little 
 children, the youngest but a few hours old. Her death was a great 
 loss to the church. She and her youngest child are buried in Mount 
 Hope cemetery. Mr. Stryker remained as pastor of the church until 
 shortly after the opening of the Civil War. The call for volunteers 
 in 1861 took away into the army many of the men of the church and 
 made the financial support of the church impossible. Mr. Stryker 
 tried to enlist as a chaplain, but was not able to do so. He sent his 
 family back to Connecticut and obtained employment with the Bible 
 society. The church held no regular services from July, 1861, until 
 July, 1866. The war was over then, business became more prosper- 
 ous, and those members who remained began at once to make prep- 
 arations for the building of a house of their own. The membership 
 at the time of the reorganization which was made at the close of the 
 war numbered about sixty. There is no mention of the exact time 
 when the Reverend C. D. Nott, the first pastor of the church after 
 the war, came to Urbana, but it is likely that he took charge of the 
 congregation early in 1866. The first mention of his name in the 
 Session minutes is November, 1867. 
 
 The memorandum of a church meeting held July 14 or 15, 1866, 
 shows that the following were present : 
 
 A. M. Ayres, T. R. Leal, W. J. Ermentrout, O. O. Alexander, 
 S. M. Noel, George Nichols, and Mahlon Lindley. Mr. Ermentrout 
 was elected chairman of the meeting and Mr. Alexander secretary. 
 Mr. Ermentrout, Mr. Ayres, Mr. C. R. Griggs, Mr. Alexander, and 
 Mr. Leal were appointed members of a building committee. There 
 was evidently, at this meeting, considerable discussion of plans for a 
 new building. 
 
 Another meeting was called for the evening of July 16, at which 
 time Mr. Ermentrout presided. At this meeting Mr. Noel and Mr. 
 Thompson Elder we're elected trustees for one year; Mr. George 
 Nichol and Mr. A. P. Cunningham for two years; and Mr. Ermen- 
 trout and Mr. Alexander for three years. At this meeting, also, the 
 society adopted as its seal the obverse of an American half dollar 
 silver coin and voted that this seal be affixed to all papers requiring 
 
 [11] 
 
the seal of the church. The use of this seal has long ago fallen into 
 disuse and has been forgotten. The trustees were authorized and 
 instructed to negotiate at the earliest practicable moment a loan of 
 five hundred dollars from the ''Committee to Aid in Erection of 
 Church Edifices" of Chicago, Illinois. 
 
 On the fourteenth day of August, 1866, Joseph W. Sim and 
 Sarah A. Sim, his wife, conveyed to the recently elected trustees of 
 the church lots 2 and 3, block 6 of the J. W. Sim's addition to the 
 town of Urbana. The consideration for this transfer was $450. 
 These lots are the two upon which the present church and the house 
 immediately west of it now stand. The house at 604 West Green 
 street became later the parsonage of the church. 
 
 On the loth day of August, 1866, the trustees made a note to the 
 "Committee to Aid in the Erection of Church Edifices," for the sum 
 of $500, being for money loaned and secured by mortgage which 
 was executed on lot 3, block 6, of the property recently purchased 
 from Mr. Sim. This mortgage was later cancelled and the note paid. 
 There is evidence to show that the contract for the erection of the 
 church was let to a Mr. Hendricks in October, 1866. A memoran- 
 dum without date in the handwriting of Mr. O. O. Alexander gives 
 the following itemized account of the cost of the church : 
 
 Contract _ $4,000.00 
 
 Sheeting 150.00 
 
 Tower 475.00 
 
 Graining 44.00 
 
 Fence - 300.00 
 
 Walk 35.00 
 
 Lot 325.00 
 
 — 100.00 
 
 $5,429.00 
 The funds for the erection of the church were raised by subscrip- 
 tion, and the list of subscribers with the amount which each con- 
 tributed is still preserved. It gives some idea of the energy and 
 persistence of those delegated to prosecute the work. It is a long list 
 of familiar names to old residents of Urbana. It shows how gener- 
 ously and how generally the citizens of the two towns came to the 
 support of the Presbyterians. The list includes the names of men of 
 all creeds and of all walks of life, and shows how willingly people 
 will sacrifice for a cause in which they have faith. One hundred 
 dollars was a large sum of money sixty-five years ago, and yet many 
 of these people gave that amount and in not a few instances several 
 times that sum. There were Baptists and Methodists and Jews on 
 the list and men and women of various faiths, and of no specific faith 
 at all. It is interesting and heartening to repeat the names of some 
 
 [12] 
 
of these subscribers, most of whom have been gone these many- 
 years : Mahlon Lindley, William Nichol, W. J. Ermentrout, A. P. 
 Cunningham, C. R. Griggs, Wm. B. Webber, T. R. Leal, N. A. 
 Riley, L. A. McLean, Frank Jaques, T. B. Carson, W. J. Foote, 
 E. Blackshaw, S. T. Busey, M. Lowenstern, C. M. Sherfey, William 
 Sim, O. O. Alexander, A. M. Ayers, T. S'. Hubbard, H. M. Russell— 
 what memories the mere mention of these names stirs up! The 
 names of these men recall to us what the progress and development 
 of Urbana owes to the former generations. 
 
 The first recorded minutes of the session bear the date of Novem- 
 ber 3, 1866. The minute is to the effect that no evening service be 
 held until the new church was ready for occupancy. The remaining 
 time was spent in discussing the religious condition of the church. 
 
 On December 1, 1866, fourteen members were received into the 
 church. Among these was Aaron Bennett, who, until the time of his 
 death in 1888, was a ruling elder of the congregation. According to 
 the best information that can be obtained, the church building was 
 dedicated on February 14, 1867, the Reverend J. H. Trowbridge 
 preaching the dedication sermon. The salary of the Pastor, the 
 Reverend C. D. Nott, was set at $1,000 a year and house rent. This 
 was an advance over what he had previously received. In the fall of 
 1867 the trustees bought the bell that rang out the times of service 
 in the old church. It was obtained from VanDuzen & Lift, of Cin- 
 cinnati, and cost thirty-eight cents a pound. The first funeral to oc- 
 cur in the church was that of Orley Foote, brother of Miss Eva 
 Foote and Mrs. Julia R. Mathews, who died July 2, 1867. 
 
 On March 14, 1869, the Reverend Mr. Knott announced to the 
 congregation his intention of resigning, and, at the meeting of the 
 congregation a few days later, his resignation was accepted, and his 
 connection with the church ended April 9, 1869. The church records 
 show that thirty-four members were added to the roll during his 
 ministry. 
 
 Five months later, September 15, 1869, a call was extended to the 
 Reverend W. C. Smith, of Huntington, Indiana, to become the 
 pastor of the church. He apparently accepted the call and came 
 immediately. Both the Session minutes and those of the Board of 
 Trustees are meager during the two years of Mr. Smith's incum- 
 bency. Twenty-five members were added to the church during these 
 two years. Among these were Mr. and Mrs. Jas. S. McCullough, 
 George W. Hubbard, the father of Julia Hubbard Miles, and oldest 
 son of T. S. Hubbard, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Kyle, Miss Martha 
 Kyle's father and mother, Mrs. T. R. Leal, and Nancy Brown, 
 known as "Grandma Brown," who was one of the first Sunday 
 
 [13] 
 
school teachers of the church. Mrs. McCuIlough is still living in 
 Urbana. 
 
 In March, 1871, at a Congregational meeting, it was voted to 
 raise the sum of $3,500 for the purpose of building a manse on the 
 lot which the church owned immediately west of the building, and to 
 meet some other financial obligations which were pressing, Messrs. 
 W. J. Ermentrout, W. M. Goodwin, D. D. Cannon, T. R. Leal, and 
 A. P. Cunningham were appointed a committee to solicit funds. Ten 
 days later Mr. C. D. Webster was added to the committee. There is 
 no further statement in the minutes as to how or where the money 
 was raised, but later events would tend to show that the building 
 was begun on a rather slender shoe string. However, the committee 
 proceeded to erect the manse which was dedicated with appropriate 
 cremonies on November 3, 1871. In the meantime the pastor, the 
 Reverend William C. Smith, had died, and the church was again 
 without a shepherd. 
 
 There was little delay in calling a new pastor. On October 20, of 
 the same year, the Reverend S. M. Morton accepted a call to become 
 the pastor of the church. He was not regularly installed until the 
 following October, and he continued in charge of the work of the 
 church until November, 1874. A somewhat increased interest in 
 missions was developed during Mr. Morton's pastorate, and fifty- 
 four persons were added to the membership of the church. Among 
 these were Eva A. Foote, Mrs. Emma Besore, Hattie I. Bennett, 
 Jennie M. Vanderveer, and Edna Post Hubbard — women whose 
 work for the welfare of the church for the rest of their lives, or 
 during their active membership may well be remembered. Mr. A. P. 
 Cunningham, who for many years had been a deacon of the church 
 and an active supporter of all its interests, withdrew his member- 
 ship in 1872, having his home and his business interest in Cham- 
 paign, and joined the Champaign church. 
 
 Rumors were extant in August, 1872, that certain members of 
 the congregation had wandered somewhat from the straight path 
 and were bringing criticism and disgrace upon the church. Elder 
 Hubbard was delegated to investigate the rumor and to report back 
 to the Session. His report shortly afterward indicated that not 
 everything was as it should be, and Elder Ayers was appointed to aid 
 Elder Hubbard in his investigations. This committee reported that 
 the case was serious and one which required the interposition of the 
 Session. 
 
 "Common fame charges," they reported, "a member of this 
 church with the sin of intemperance to the manifest injury of his 
 own Christian standing and reputation, and to the flagrant reproach 
 
 [141 
 
of the church of Christ, at sundry times prior to this date, and 
 within the last twelve months, as may be proved by the following 
 witnesses." The names of the witnesses were given in the report. 
 
 When it came to the summoning of these witnesses, however, 
 they were loath to make specific statements and their replies to 
 questions were often evasive and indefinite. In view of the failure of 
 one witness to appear when he was called, and the refusal of another 
 to testify, the original committee was reappointed to secure more 
 testimony. Before this additional evidence could be collected, how- 
 ever, the accused man wrote a letter to the Session expressing his 
 digust with the whole proceeding and indicating that he felt quite 
 able to attend to his own business. 
 
 "Therefore, I notify you," he wrote, "that I wish my name erased from 
 the books of the First Presbyterian Church, as I have concluded not to at- 
 tend church and be treated as I have been by this church. I think I can go 
 to some other place of worship and be treated with a little more respect, and 
 get just as good information as at the First Presbyterian." 
 
 There was finally no doubt of his complete and repeated guilt, 
 and the following action was taken : 
 
 "The Session having deliberately considered the testimony in the case of 
 
 , a member of this church, charged by common 
 
 fame with the sin of intemperance, as set forth in the charge, does judge and 
 
 decide that the charge has been proved, and that the said „ , 
 
 ought to be and hereby is, suspended from the communion of the church until 
 he shall give satisfactory evidence of repentance." 
 
 The clerk was instructed to furnish the accused with a copy of 
 this action, and, as there is no record that the derelict member ever 
 expressed remorse or repentance, his name was never restored to the 
 church roll. 
 
 At two other times during the pastorate of Mr. Morton rumors 
 reached the ears of the officers of the church of the intemperance of 
 individual members, and a committee was appointed to look into the 
 facts. Before confirmation of these facts could be secured one of 
 the accused withdrew his membership from the church and, with 
 his wife, attached himself to an older sister organization in Urbana. 
 It appears from this that drinking to excess was not unknown fifty 
 years ago or more, even before the Volstead act became operative. 
 
 About this time also, a committee was appointed to wait upon 
 certain members who "had absented themselves for a considerable 
 time from the regular church services, and to try to ascertain their 
 reasons for so doing." These early officers of the church took their 
 duties seriously — more seriously, possibly, than their successors do 
 today — and felt that they had an obligation to bring back into the 
 fold the wanderin? or the lost sheep. In October, 18T4, Mr. Morton 
 presented his resignation as pastor, and it was accepted. The finances 
 
 [15] 
 
of the church were not at this time in perfect condition, it appears, 
 for a minute of the Board of Trustees indicates that there was owing 
 the pastor when he resigned the sum of $229.75, which was at that 
 time nearly one-fourth of his yearly stipend. There were other debts, 
 also, aggregating almost $2,000 with little more than one hundred 
 dollars in the treasury. The total annual income of the church in 
 1874 was $1,353.06. 
 
 The congregation was without a pastor until the spring of 1875. 
 On January 31, 1875, the congregation voted to extend a call to the 
 Reverend J. H. Miller, of Sedalia, Missouri, at a salary of $1,200 a 
 year, but he apparently did not accept. The financial report of Mr. 
 C. D. Webster, acting treasurer, shows that Mr. Miller was paid the 
 sum of $26.50 from the church treasury, which sum probably 
 covered his railroad expenses to and from Sedalia, Missouri. He 
 looked the ground over and turned away. There is another interest- 
 ing item of expense in Mr. Webster's account. Professor Carlos 
 Taft of the University of Illinois, father of Mr. Lorado Taft, noted 
 sculptor, was paid the sum of fifty-one dollars for ten sermons 
 during the time that the church was without a regular supply. 
 Apparently preachers were not over-paid in 1875. 
 
 The Reverend Farel Hart served the church from April, 1875, 
 until December of that same year. He was to be paid at the rate of 
 $1,000 a year and to have the free use of a study room in the par- 
 sonage which had been rented to Mr. J. E. Hunt at $20 a month. 
 Apparently Mr. Farel was unmarried. 
 
 The record, which during these years was very incomplete, indic- 
 ates that he was drowned in Lake Michigan in December, 1875. 
 
 There are no minutes of the Session from October, 1875, until 
 April, 1879. The explanation of this lapse, in the handwriting of 
 Judge A. M. Ay res, is that during that interval the church had been 
 often without pastor and without supply ; consequently no record 
 had been kept. 
 
 The minutes of the Board of Trustees, however, furnish consid- 
 erable information during this period. The church added to its 
 income in April, 1875, by charging the German Methodists three 
 dollars for the use of the church. 
 
 At a congregational meeting, on January 7, 1876, it was voted to 
 extend a call to the Reverend Mr. D. W. Evans to become the stated 
 supply of the church for the period of one year at a salary of $1,000 
 and the use of the parsonage. Mr. C. D. Webster and Mr. W. J. 
 Ermentrout made up the committee to acquaint Mr. Evans with the 
 action of the congregation. Mr. Evans accepted the ofifer of the 
 committee with the understanding that he might occupy the parson- 
 age after May 1, at which time Mr J. E. Hunt's lease expired. 
 
 [16] 
 
The treasurer's report for the year 1875 was interesting: 
 TREASURER'S REPORT JANUARY 1, 1875, 
 TO DECEMBER 31, 1875. 
 
 Balance on hand January 1, 1875 $ 44.23 
 
 Received in envelopes | 895.50 
 
 Received from Sociables 63.20 
 
 Received from German M. E. Church 3.00 
 
 Received from J. E. Hunt, rent 140.00 
 
 Total Accounts $1,145.93 
 
 Paid interest $ 128.00 
 
 Paid sundry preachers 81.50 
 
 Paid S. M. Morton in full 124.15 
 
 Paid F. Hart in full - 673.08 
 
 Paid printing bill 24.00 
 
 Paid for furniture 28.90 
 
 Paid taxes 21.08 
 
 Paid janitor 30.00 
 
 Paid stationery, etc 18.25 
 
 Paid for wood 7.50 
 
 Paid for gas 19.60 
 
 Paid for insurance 66.75 
 
 Paid for drain 8.00 
 
 Total Paid out $1,230.21 
 
 Balance due Treasurer $ 84.38 
 
 Liabilities: 
 
 Burpee note $1,100.00 
 
 School note 765.00 
 
 Interest now due 76.50 
 
 Treasurer 84.38 
 
 Total $2,025.88 
 
 The available resources were $30.00. It will be noted that the 
 rate of interest charged on the church debt was ten per cent and that 
 the church's liabilities were increasing rather than diminishing. It 
 was suggested at the January meeting of the Board that Mrs. S. J. 
 Spence, a member of the church, had one hundred dollars which she 
 was willing to loan to the church at ten per cent interest, and the 
 treasurer was directed to secure this amount, from which he should 
 first pay the interest due on the church's debt, and then to credit 
 himself with the balance. 
 
 Between January 11, 1876, and September 12 of the same year 
 there were seven called meetings of the Board of Trustees, without 
 at any time being a quorum present and so with no possibility of 
 transacting business. Mr. T. S. Hubbard and Mr. C. D. Webster 
 were the faithful members who were always present. At the meeting 
 
 [17] 
 
on September 12, it was voted to call the attention of the society "to 
 the very deplorable state of finances, in a public meeting, as the circu- 
 lars and statements do not have the desired effect. " ' This called 
 meeting was held on September 17, 1876, at which "the treasurer 
 made statement of receipts for the past three years and called atten- 
 tion to the fact that of the $2,000 needed for this year, only about 
 one-third has thus far been paid." The total collections for the year 
 previous amounted to only $677.13 of which amount the six trustees 
 contributed $374.26. Within two years the number of contributors 
 had dropped from fifty-five to thirty-one. General interest in church 
 affairs was waning, the church debt was increasing, and the life of 
 the church was threatened. Mr. J. E. Hunt and Mr. A. Spence were 
 appointed a committee personally to see every member of the congre- 
 gation and to lay the situation before them as well as to collect funds. 
 
 Two months later the Board voted to address a circular to all 
 members of the congregation with a view of ascertaining "whether 
 or not preaching can be sustained the coming year," and a congrega- 
 tional meeting was called for November 22. At this meeting the 
 financial condition of the church was presented and Mr. A. Spence 
 and Mr. J. E. Hunt were appointed a committee to take pledges and 
 to report to an adjourned meeting of the congregation a week later. 
 Two weeks later the committee reported that $1350 in pledges had 
 been secured and this was thought sufficient to continue the work of 
 the church. There were seven meetings of the Board of Trustees 
 between December 27, 1876, and August 14, 1877, without a quorum 
 present or any business being transacted. Such a record does not 
 indicate particular activity on the part of the officers in charge. At 
 the meeting of August 14, it was voted to call a congregational 
 meeting for August 26, 1877, to consult as to the future of the 
 church. At this meeting the end of the fiscal year was changed from 
 December 31 to March 31. The congregation voted also to extend a 
 call to Mr. D. W. Evans for one year only. The finances of the 
 church were in too precarious a situation to do more than this. 
 
 The inference may be drawn from some of the minutes of the 
 Board that during this year there were attempts made to sever the 
 pastoral relation between Mr. Evans and the church. There was 
 much dissatisfaction. The Trustees, however, voted in December 
 that the action taken in August calling Mr. Evans for the period of 
 one year was binding and could not be set aside without further 
 legislation. Mr. T. S. Hubbard, who for many years had been one 
 of the most faithful members of the Board of Trustees, never 
 missing a meeting so far as the ( records show, resigned, alleging 
 pressure of business obligations, but the congregation refused to 
 
 [18] 
 
accept his resignation. The finances of the church were becoming 
 more and more involved, and on February 24, 1878, a congrega- 
 tional meeting was called to go into financial matters. An attempt 
 had previously been made to sell the parsonage for $2,000, but 
 nothing had come of it, and it had not been possible to negotiate a 
 new loan. The report of the treasurer showed that there was due, or 
 coming due within a few weeks, an amount aggregating $2,265, with 
 no apparent way of meeting the obligation. 
 
 There was some misunderstanding between Mr. Evans and the 
 Trustees as to the amount owing him, and a very natural dissatis- 
 faction on his part that one-fourth of his salary for the past year 
 was unpaid. This misunderstanding caused considerable correspond- 
 ence between the pastor, the pastor's wife and various members of 
 the congregation. The pastor presented a bill of extras which he 
 thought the trustees should pay and in lieu of their refusal to do so, 
 packed up two carpets, a chair and a sofa belonging to the church 
 and shipped these with his household goods to his next charge. It is 
 quite conceivable that a man whose regular salary was quite an 
 uncertain quantity might have been excused for laying his hands on 
 any movable property that was in sight, and if two old carpets, a 
 second-hand chair, and a sofa were thought adequate to cancel in his 
 mind the church's financial obligations — well, why not? It is inter- 
 esting to note that there are no recorded additions to the church from 
 1876 to 1879. 
 
 The Board of Trustees did no more business after March 27, 
 until June 30, when, by invitation, the Reverend Mr. O. B. Thayer, 
 who had been acting as supply on Sunday afternoons since the 
 resignation of Mr. Evans, was asked to become the regular pastor of 
 the church. Mr. Thayer did not wish to give up the regular charge 
 which he had but agreed, if proper arrangements could be made, to 
 undertake the work in Urbana in the afternoon or evening. The 
 story is told that Mr. Thayer's chief interest outside of the pulpit lay 
 in thoroughbred horses of which he owned several. One of the 
 "arrangements" which he required to be made before he would 
 accept the pastorate in Urbana, was that a stable should be erected 
 behind the parsonage in which his horses might be properly 
 housed. The record does not specifically state what action was taken, 
 but, apparently, the stable was built. Mr. Thayer acted as supply 
 until January 11, 1879, when he made a proposition to the Trustees 
 to preach an afternoon sermon for $400 a year or to come as a full 
 time pastor for $800. This offer the Trustees did not feel that they 
 could accept. At a later meeting it was suggested that he be offered 
 a year and the use of the parsonage for full time service. In 
 
 [19] 
 
The Old Church 
 
 Interior of Old Church 
 
Mrs. Jane W. Hubbard Mrs. Nancy (Grandma) Brown 
 
 ft ^^ 
 
 Mrs. Isabelle Hunt 
 
 Mrs. Emeline Leal 
 
 Mrs. Mary E. Busey 
 
January, 1880, the matter of Mr. Thayer's compensation again came 
 up, and it was agreed that he be paid a salary of $(350 a year in week- 
 ly installments for one sermon each Sunday. On January 16, 1881, a 
 congregational meeting was held to consider the desirability of 
 retaining Mr. Thayer for another year. The vote was eighteen to 
 eight in favor of doing so, and Mr. Kyle was appointed to confer 
 with Mr. Thayer on the matter. A few days later Mr. Kyle reported 
 to the Board of Trustees that he had seen Mr. Thayer, but that Mr. 
 Thayer could not accept for any length of time, nor could he make 
 at present any satisfactory arrangement. The Board decided "to 
 wait for something to turn up." 
 
 A few weeks later a committee was appointed to solicit funds to 
 pay Mr. Thayer as long as he was willing to stay. He agreed to 
 accept ten dollars a Sunday until he could find another place. Six 
 hundred and thirty-nine dollars and thirty cents were raised in 
 subscriptions and "all said to be good." In the meantime the Board 
 of Trustees had sold the parsonage to Mrs. J. E. Hunt for $1,500, 
 and applied this sum upon the old church debt. Mr. Thayer finished 
 his work with the church in the summer of 1881 and accepted a call 
 to the church at Clinton, Illinois. 
 
 In August, 1881, the Reverend J. Paysen Mills came and 
 preached for the congregation until April of the next spring. A few 
 accessions to the church were made during his pastorate, but matters 
 seemed much as they had been for several years. There was little 
 spiritual or financial activity manifested. The Hubbards, the Besores, 
 the Leals, the Websters, the Kyles, the Snyders, the Smiths, the 
 Ayers, and a few others still did their best to arouse interest and to 
 bring the congregation out of its apparent lethargy. The church had 
 no regular pastor from April, 1882, until July, 1883, though there 
 were occasional services when supplies could be secured. 
 
 In June, 1883, the Reverend George L. McNutt from Wabash 
 College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, preached for the church and later 
 received a unanimous call to become the regular pastor and to divide 
 his time between the Urbana church and the Presbyterian church at 
 Homer, preaching alternate Sundays at each place. He was to 
 receive $450 from the Homer church and $550 from Urbana. At 
 the end of a year the Urbana church decided to engage Mr. McNutt 
 for the entire time, and this was done at a salary of $900, he agree- 
 ing to devote himself entirely to the interests of the Urbana church. 
 Mr. McNutt was a brilliant speaker, with a magnetic personality, 
 and the attendance at church services under his ministration in- 
 creased rapidly. Through his efforts the church was at last freed 
 
 [22] 
 
from the debt which for years had hung over it like an old man of 
 the sea. 
 
 Mr. Hubbard tells very interestingly the story of the paying of 
 this last $866.50 which remained from the original debt of $2300 
 which had been the bugbear of the church for nearly ten years. 
 
 "In January, 1885," he says, "Reverend McNutt, having only a short 
 time before learned that this church was burdened with debt, resolved that 
 by some means this debt must go down, if only a little at a time. About the 
 first of January he adopted the plan of taking a collection each Sabbath eve- 
 ning, and setting aside the proceeds to apply on the debt. About $24 was 
 raised in this way during the six months following. 
 
 "On Sabbath morning, July 5, 1885, Reverend McNutt astonished his con- 
 gregation by stating from the desk that if they could, before Tuesday eve- 
 ning, raise $500, the debt should be paid, he knew where he could get 
 $300 as soon as the church raised their part. On the same Sabbath afternoon 
 the entire body of Trustees met at F. M. Wright's residence to consult in re- 
 gard to the best way of raising money for the debt. Reverend McNutt and 
 M. S. Parks were appointed a committee to canvas for subscriptions for the 
 payment pf said debt. The committee were well received ; the people responded 
 liberally, and the required amount was raised before four P. M. Tuesday, 
 July 7, 1885. Thus the mortgage that for many years annoyed us was can- 
 celled." 
 
 The story does not tell where the $300 came from, but in all 
 likelihood Mr. Hubbard paid it. 
 
 In November, 1885, Mr. McNutt accepted a call from the Fourth 
 Presbyterian church of Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Urbana 
 church was again without a pastor. 
 
 In February, 1886, the Reverend Otis A. Smith was employed to 
 supply the pulpit for two months, and after April 1, to give his 
 entire time to the work of the church until the following September. 
 For these seven months he was to receive a salary of $500. 
 
 At a congregational meeting held October 24, 1886, the congrega- 
 tion voted in favor of calling the Reverend M. R. Paradis of Farmer 
 City, to become its regular pastor. A committee consisting of J. E. 
 Hunt, James Matheson, and John A. Glover was appointed to decide 
 the matter. At a later meeting the committee reported favorably 
 upon Mr. Paradis, and a committee consisting of Mrs. Matheson, 
 Mrs. Isabel Hunt and Mrs. Monett were appointed to interview Mr. 
 Paradis and discover under what conditions he would come to 
 Urbana. This action seems to mark the first active entrance of the 
 women of the church into its official business, and it marks also the 
 beginning of a brighter financial outlook for the church. They were 
 empowered to offer Mr. Paradis a salary of $800 a year, with an 
 additional allowance of $150 for house rent. Mr. Paradis accepted 
 this offer and immediately took up his work. 
 
 With the coming of the Paradis' the church took on new life. 
 
 [23] 
 
Both Mr. and Mrs. Paradis were musical, and they had a keen 
 interest in young people of which there were beginning to be a good 
 many, both from the University and from the town. The congrega- 
 tion had always contained people with good voices — the Websters, 
 the Littles, the Weber girls, Maude Lloyd (Hess), Luella Phillips 
 (Renner), Chas. D. Kiler, Ed. Hammer, Hattie Bennett (Knowl- 
 ton), James Matheson, the Monetts, and others. Most of them were 
 still in the church when the Paradis' came and helped to make the 
 choir an attractive part of the church service. 
 
 A fortunate circumstance occurred at this time. Mr. and Mrs. 
 John A. Glover came into the community in December, 1885. They 
 were both thoroughly trained musicians. They were young and 
 energetic and they entered at once enthusiastically into the life of the 
 church. They became a part of the choir and, later, Mr. Glover was 
 its leader and for more than twenty years he directed the music of 
 the church while Mrs. Glover presided at the organ. They paid for 
 their own music and for most of the time labored without the slight- 
 est compensation. In 188? Mr. Glover was elected to the office of 
 ruling elder — a position which he held for twenty-nine years. He 
 was also for twenty years or more a member of the Board of 
 Trustees. Immediately upon coming into the church Mrs. Glover 
 became active in the work of the Sunday School, the Women's Mis- 
 sionary society and the Ladies' Aid Society. When Mrs. Isabella 
 Hunt, who from the organization of the church had been in charge 
 of the primary department, was forced through failing strength and 
 advancing age to give up the work, Mrs. Glover took her place and 
 has been in charge of it most of the time since then. The church can 
 never pay the debt of gratitude it owes to Mr. and Mrs. Glover for 
 their more than forty-five years of generous, faithful service. 
 
 There was very little activity in the church on the part of the 
 young people during the early history of the organization, if indeed, 
 there were many young people in the group. At least the church roll 
 shows very few. Church affairs were run by the gray heads in the 
 early days, — by the men and women of experience. The young 
 people, like children, were to be seen, but it was not expected that 
 they should be heard. 
 
 In the early eighties the Christian Endeavor society was spread- 
 ing rapidly over the country, and the power and influence of young 
 men and women in the church was being felt. It was Julia Hubbard 
 Insley, the youngest daughter of Elder T. S. Hubbard for so many 
 years an influential officer of the church, who first, in the spring of 
 1888, agitated an organization of young people. Under her leader- 
 
 [24] 
 
ship and with the cooperation of Mrs. Paradis, our present society 
 was formed. 
 
 The first officers as given in the records of the Board of Trustees 
 were as follows : 
 
 President ■ T. A. Clark 
 
 Recording Secretary Chas. D. Kiler 
 
 Corresponding Secretary Minnie Kyle 
 
 Treasurer Mrs. M. R. Paradis 
 
 Mrs. Paradis 
 
 Prayer Meeting Committee \ Philemon Bevis 
 
 A. Glover 
 
 Lookout Committee. 
 
 T. A. Clark 
 
 Minnie Kyle 
 Hortense Call 
 Mary Leal 
 
 There were twenty-eight active and twenty-two associate mem- 
 bers at the outset. 
 
 These young people — some of them in high school and many of 
 them in college — held weekly meetings on Sunday evening, swel.ed 
 the attendance at the morning service and at the Wednesday evening 
 prayer meeting, and began at once to be felt in the active life of the 
 church. 
 
 The Reverend and Mrs. Paradis stimulated this work and interest 
 of the young people and it became more important. Mrs. Paradis 
 had few equals in putting young people to work, in arousing their 
 enthusiasm and keeping it aroused. She did a great deal of the 
 planning while giving them the impression that they were themselves 
 doing it. There was much social life about the manse during these 
 years on Sunday evening and during the week, and since neither the 
 two towns nor the University furnished a great many diversions, this 
 social life within the church was a godsend. How, on their slender 
 salary, the pastor and his wife were able to feed so many hungry- 
 young people as they did on Sunday evenings it is difficult to 
 understand. 
 
 It is interesting to recall the names of some of these early 
 members, many of whom, after forty years, are still active workers 
 in this or other churches : 
 
 Maude Lloyd, Ada Williams, Minnie and Martha Kyle, Julia 
 Hubbard, Alice Bradshaw, Lydia Hart, Grace and Leonora Briggs, 
 Mary, Rose, and Sophie Leal, Edith McHugh, Addie and Carrie 
 Nichol, Belle Norton, Maude Nichols, Mary and Bess Brownlee, 
 Mary Howe, Marietta Busey, Emma Seibert, Anna Lightbody. 
 
 And of the young men there were Bert I jams, Frank Levy, 
 Charles D. Kiler. Edward and Ernest Hunt, George Clinton, Will 
 
 [251 
 
Martin, Clarence Shamel, Phil and Albon Bevis — it is impossible 
 after so many years to name them all. 
 
 They soon realized that the general audience room of the church 
 was an inadequate place in which to hold their weekly meeting ; it 
 disturbed the members of the congregation coming in for the regular 
 service, and it left no time for social intercourse after the regular 
 evening program was finished. 
 
 They determined to have a room of their own. To raise the 
 money necessary for this purpose each member made a small dona- 
 tion, a series of entertainments was given — concerts, readings and 
 so on, — and a final grand "Feast of Nations" in Busey's hall on the 
 north side of Main Street. Having gained the consent of the Board 
 of Trustees, an addition to the north end of the church was begun 
 during the summer of 1892, and this room was formally dedicated 
 in December of that year. The report of the treasurer of the society 
 showed that the total assets of the society were $628.00 and that the 
 cost of the addition and its furnishings had aggregated $607.00. 
 There were, herefore, $21.00 in the treasury when the addition was 
 completed. 
 
 Shortly after the coming of Mr. Paradis a rather long series of 
 evangelistic meetings was held in the church. These were in charge 
 of a Mr. BischofT, of Springfield, Illinois. "Happy Bisch" he called 
 himself. A Mr. Powell had charge of the music. Mr. BischofT was 
 an illiterate, incoherent speaker, whose crude informality did violence 
 to the feelings of many of the reserved, dignified Presbyterians, but 
 his wandering, disconnected utterances had a strangely magnetic 
 appeal to many in his audiences, and the result of his efTorts brought 
 many into the church. Some of those who were influenced by his 
 preaching joined other churches in town, but on January 28, 1887, 
 fifty-three members were admitted into the church, and within the 
 next few weeks a score of others were added to the church roll. 
 
 The Board of Elders, which from the establishment of the church 
 had consisted of Judge A. M. Ayres, T. S. Hubbard and Aaron 
 Bennett, and (for a time) E. M. Xoel, was. in 1887, increased by the 
 election of John A. Glover and John D. Pulliam. In July, 1887, Mr. 
 Paradis was given six months leave of absence in order that he and 
 Mrs. Paradis might travel in Europe. The Reverend H. McVay, of 
 Chatsworth, Illinois, acted as stated supply during Mr. Paradis' 
 absence. In March, 1889, the session authorized its clerk to draft a 
 letter which should be sent to certain members whose attendance 
 upon regular church services was not such as might be desired. 
 Perhaps such a procedure might today prove helpful. 
 
 [26] 
 
The record of the church's contribution to missions during these 
 years is very interesting. In March, 1887, the sum of twenty dollars 
 was divided among the various missionary interests of the church, 
 and two years later the missionary contributions had grown to 
 thirty-three dollars. The reports of the various church officers 
 presented at the congregational meeting in April, 1890, showed that 
 the total financial receipts for the year aggregated $1,551.52. Of this 
 amount the Young People's Society had contributed $91.02, the 
 Ladies' Aid society $237.95, the Missionary Society $33.00, the 
 Sunday School $29.83, and Mrs. Isabelle Hunt's infant class $40.00. 
 It looked very much as if ''out of the mouths of babes and sucklings" 
 the older members of the church should have learned something. 
 At this meeting the name of Mr. G. W. Yates was added to the 
 Board of Elders. 
 
 On December 7, 1890, Mr. Paradis presented his resignation as 
 pastor. His health was not good, and his physician had advised him 
 to try some other sort of work. A position had opened to him at the 
 University in the department of French, and he thought it wise to 
 accept. It was with real regret that the congregation saw him leave. 
 He had not been a wonderful preacher, but as an organizer and as a 
 pastor he could hardly be excelled, and in his wife he had a coadjutor 
 par excellance. Under his ministry the church building had been 
 put into better physical condition, the church membership had 
 increased, there had been strengthening of church unity and an 
 awakened interest in all departments of church activity. 
 
 The congregation was not ready to choose a successor to Mr. 
 Paradis, until the last of May, 1891. At the congregational meeting 
 held on May 24, the Reverend E. P. Morse of Watseka, Illinois, 
 was the unanimous choice of the church. Mr. Morse's term of 
 service was from July 5, 1891, to October 24, 1893. The church 
 increased in its efficiency and unity during his pastorate, though few 
 names were added to the church roll. The financial receipts for the 
 year ending March 31, 1893, were $2,235.63, the largest amount ever 
 received in the history of the church up to that date. 
 
 It was six months after the resignation of Mr. Morse before 
 the congregation was again ready to call a pastor. The constant 
 interregnums which existed between pastorates was extremely bad, 
 for as these occurred the interest in church affairs waned, and a 
 certain inertia took possession of the members. Contributions were 
 fewer and smaller, and the church roll showed infrequent additions. 
 
 On May 3, 1894, at a church meeting it was voted to extend a 
 call to the Reverend G. L.,McXutt to supply the pulpit at a salary 
 of $1,200 a year. "Aunty" Russell (Mrs. H. M.) had apparently 
 
 [27] 
 
been responsible for soliciting contributions from the members for 
 defraying Mr. McNutt's salary, and so successful had she been in 
 her efforts, "Inasmuch as the subscription list," according to the 
 record, "was thought the best of any before it," that Mrs. T. S. 
 Hubbard was authorized to buy a chair to be presented to Mrs. 
 Russell, this to be paid for by the officers of the church, "as a token 
 of gratitude for her efforts in raising said amount." 
 
 Shortly after Mr. McNutt's coming, the subject of building a 
 parsonage began to be agitated. Mr. McNutt was appointed to act 
 in the matter with the understanding that he might associate with 
 himself such others as he desired. Before the end of 1894 plans and 
 specifications for a new parsonage were submitted to the Board of 
 Trustees and these were approved. Mr. Leal was put in charge of 
 the epccavation for the building on a lot at the corner of California 
 and Coler Avenues, donated by Mr. T. S. Hubbard who, as was 
 usual in such cases, came at once to the front. The heating of the 
 house was easily arranged when Colonel S. T. Busey paid for the 
 furnace. Bids on the new house were opened January 10, 1895. The 
 lowest bid was $1,587 and Messrs. Ahlrich, Besore and G. W. Hub- 
 bard were appointed a building committee. The record at this time 
 does not show how the building was financed, but inference may be 
 drawn from later statements that such money as was secured through 
 the solicitations of Mrs. H. M. Russell and Mr. McNutt was imme- 
 diately applied to the building debt, while the remaining sum was 
 carried in the Citizen's Building and Loan Association. A part of 
 these dues was paid by the Ladies' Aid Society. 
 
 There was a good deal of agitation during the second period of 
 Mr. McNutt's regime. Much that happened it would be neither kind 
 nor helpful to repeat. The situation might be explained, possibly, by 
 saying that Mr. McNutt was a rare genius and a remarkable pastor 
 without a balance wheel. He had no idea of the limitations of money. 
 The Trustees attempted, unasked, to manage his financial affairs for 
 him, and were informed that he wished to be allowed that privilege 
 himself. For a time, part of his salary was paid to him directly, and 
 the remainder applied upon his debts. This procedure was naturally 
 unsatisfactory both to the Trustees and to the Pastor. 
 
 "I must respectfully insist," he wrote the Trustees, "that while I 
 remain pastor of this church, my personal relations in the community 
 can not be a matter of discussion or action in any way whatever, by 
 any organization of the church." 
 
 On June 13, 1898, at a joint meeting of the Session of the church 
 and the Board of Trustees it was resolved that a proposition which 
 Mr. McNutt had presented to the Board regarding- his future salary 
 could not be accepted. It was further voted that the salary of the 
 
 [28] 
 
pastor be fixed at twelve hundred dollars a year to be paid as 
 follows : Twenty dollars a month to the Loan Association in lieu of 
 rent ; fifty dollars a month in cash to the pastor, and the balance to be 
 payable at the end of the year either in cash or its equivalent, and 
 that the pastor shall render such service as the Session of the church 
 shall direct. This arrangement was intended to help Mr. McNutt 
 more easily and surely to meet his financial obligations. 
 
 This proposition was not satisfactory to Mr. McNutt, and he 
 submitted his resignation. The Reverend G. R. Smith acted as 
 stated supply during this pastoral interregnum, and for a time the 
 Sunday evening service was discontinued. 
 
 On December 4, 1898, the congregation voted to extend a call to 
 the Reverend George E. Hunt, of Chicago, to become pastor of the 
 church. He was installed May 10, 1899. He was an aggressive, 
 broad-minded man who saw a great opportunity in the Urbana 
 church as no one else, apparently, had previously done. His ministry 
 was tremendously strong and efficient. A new spirit seemed to take 
 possession of the church and large numbers were added to the 
 membership. 
 
 With his coming the character of the congregation changed. 
 Until the time of Mr. Paradis' pastorate the congregation was com- 
 posed almost entirely of the business and working people of Urbana. 
 Almost no one connected with the University, young or old, had his 
 name on the church roll, or was actively engaged in its work. The 
 Congregational and the Presbyterian churches in Champaign had 
 strong University enrollments, and the Baptist church and the Meth- 
 odist were not without their University adherents. With Mr. Para- 
 dis' coming many University students and other young people were 
 attracted to the church, but it was not until Mr. Hunt's time that 
 the University faculty drifted to Urbana. About 1900 the student 
 enrollment at the University was rapidly increasing, new residence 
 districts were opened up in Urbana, and it was not long until only 
 the old-time members of the faculty clung to Champaign. The 
 church roll during Mr. Hunt's pastorate showed the names of 
 Professor E. B. Greene, Professor M. B. Hammond, Professor 
 W. D. Pence, Professor J. H. Pettit, Professor H. W. Mumford, 
 Miss Isabel Bevier, Mr. H. L. Coar. Mr. G. P. Clinton, Mr. J. Q. 
 Adams, Mr C. D. Mel ane, Professor C. T. Knipp, with the names 
 of scores of University young people and less influential members of 
 the faculty. Mr. Hunt made the most of these new accessions, and at 
 once put many of them officially to work. 
 
 Through the death of Miss Etta Bowen, sister of Mrs. S. T. 
 Busey, the church was left $1,000, it being stipulated in Miss 
 
 [29] 
 
Bowen's will that this sum should be used toward the erection of a 
 new church building. 
 
 On December 23, 1900, Mr. George Besore for many years a 
 member of the Board of Trustees passed away. The Board minutes 
 show the following note : 
 
 "Resolved, That in his death the Presbyterian church and the Board of 
 Trustees sustains the loss of an earnest and loyal member, always devoted to 
 their best interests, a constant and untiring worker in the church's behalf, in- 
 spiring its members to better endeavor by his enthusiasm and counsel, and al- 
 ways imbued with a fine spirit of kindness and Christian fellowship, which en- 
 deared him to all who knew him." 
 
 Early in the spring of 1901 the committee which on February 10 
 had been appointed to canvass for funds for a new church, reported 
 that they had secured pledges aggregating $15,000, and that they 
 felt that it would be safe to begin the building. A building commit- 
 tee consisting of John A. Glover, Mrs. S. T. Busey, T. R. Leal, 
 George W. Hubbard and Mrs. F. M. Wright was appointed. Quota- 
 tions from the report of that committee presented at the annual 
 church meeting, May 7, 1902, will give the interesting details of that 
 campaign better than they could be presented in any other way : 
 
 "STATEMENT OF FINANCE AND BUILDING COMMITTEE 
 FOR ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING MAY 7, 1902. 
 "The movement for a new church building started something more than 
 two years ago, but although the Ladies' Society had been working on a fund 
 for the building probably three years, no definite action was taken until Feb- 
 ruary 10 of last year, when at a Congregational meeting it was decided to 
 go ahead with the work of soliciting for funds, and if possible start the new 
 building. At that meeting a Finance Committee was appointed, consisting of 
 Mrs. S. T. Busey, Mrs. Royal Wright, Geo. W. Hubbard, T. A. Burt, T. R. 
 Leal, Jno. A. Glover, E. B. Greene, C. W. Tooke and H. L. Coar. At the 
 first meeting of the Finance Committee Mrs. S. T. Busey was made President 
 and John A. Glover Secretary and Treasurer. The fund started with a be- 
 quest of Miss Etta Bowen of $1,000.00 and contributions by Col. and Mrs. 
 Busey of $4,000.00 and the Ladies' Society of $1,000.00. The Committee de- 
 cided at the outset to make as a condition of the pledge, a subscription list of 
 $15,000.00 within ninety days from February 15, and it was decided that no 
 start should be made toward building until this amount had been fully pledged. 
 It is impossible, in the brief space allotted to this report, to tell of the 
 immense amount of work performed by the members of this committee, to tell 
 of the times of weariness, discouragement and depression and on the other 
 hand to tell of some of the many joyous and unexpected surprises. Each 
 member of the committee was working under pressure, a full head of steam 
 on, as the time was so short, but it is evident that their work was effective from 
 the fact that half a month before the expiration of the ninety days the amount 
 necessary to secure the pledges. $15,000.00 was assured, and. on April 29, the 
 following Building Committee was appointed : Mr. Jno. A. Glover. Mrs. S. T. 
 Busey. Mrs. F. M. Wright, Mr. T. R. Leal and Air. Geo. W. Hubbard. Mr. 
 Hubbard was elected Chairman and Mr. Glover Secretary. The old church 
 
 [30] 
 
building was sold, the main building to Mr. F. L. Peterson and the rear 
 addition to Mr. M. A. Dewey, and the work of taking it down was begun 
 June 3. Mr. Joseph Royer was appointed architect and superintendent of 
 building May 14, and the contract for the building was let August 17 to F. H. 
 Jahr for $15,000.00. 
 
 "During the summer the Finance Committee did little soliciting as four of 
 the members of that committee were on the Building committee and were 
 busy along the building lines. Up to May 20 a little over $16,000.00 had been 
 subscribed. It was estimated at that time that it would be necessary to raise 
 about $4,000.00 in order to complete the church and furnish it. The ground 
 seemed to have been worked over very thoroughly, and the outlook was not 
 promising. It was at this time that Mrs. S. T. Busey, for her children, made 
 the proposition to furnish a pipe organ if the committee raised the necessary 
 amount to complete the church so that it could be dedicated free of debt. This 
 proposition was a great incentive and put new heart into the work, and it was 
 decided o start out with a new list, amounts subscribed to be made payable 
 June 1 and December 1, 1902. John A. Glover and T. A. Burt were appointed 
 a special soliciting committee to have charge of raising the last $4,000.00 In 
 this brief report it would take too long to recite the manner of raising this 
 last list. Suffice it to say that about $2,500.00 of the amount was subscribed 
 by those who had already given and of the balance something over $500.00 
 came through the Ladies' Society — which they had received from friends 
 outside — providentially raised up for the occasion, and the remainder from 
 friends and neighbors not connected with our church. 
 
 "The total amount on both subscription lists is $20,395.40. The work of 
 the Finance and Building Committees is not yet done, as there is yet some 
 work to be completed on the building before its final acceptance, and the work 
 of the Finance Committee must continue until all pledges are paid in and 
 accountd for, but we hope that the work of both committees so far as com- 
 pleted will meet with the approval of the congregation." 
 
 The total cost of the church was $21,500, exclusive of the organ. 
 Dignified services extending from Sunday morning, April 20, 1902, 
 to Wednesday evening, April 23, marked the dedication of the new 
 church. These services, the Session minutes record, "Were not 
 marred by solicitation for funds, the total cost of the building being 
 all pledged before dedication day." 
 
 On Sunday evening of the dedication services all the other 
 churches of the city met with the Presbyterians, the sermon being 
 preached by the Reverend C. N. Wilder for so many years the much 
 loved pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Champaign. The 
 church at this time numbered two hundred and one members. 
 
 On May 26, 1902, the church suffered a great loss in the death of 
 Mr. T. S. Hubbard whose long service and the resolutions which 
 the Session passed at that time have already been mentioned. 
 
 In recognition of the gift of Colonel and Mrs. S. T. Busey of the 
 organ for the new church, the Session on June 9, 1902, voted the 
 following : 
 
 "We the elders and authorized representatives of the First Presbyterian 
 church, of Urbana, Illinois, on behalf of the membership and congregation, 
 do hereby record our grateful appreciation of the generous gift to the church 
 
 [31] 
 
of the new pipe organ by Colonel and Mrs. S. T. Busey in the name of their 
 children Marietta Busey, Bertha Busey and Bowen Busey. We recall with 
 pleasure the liberality of their subscription in the beginning of the movement 
 for the new church building and the tireless and willing service they rendered 
 in the giving of time and strength to the laborious details of the Building 
 Committee, and just at a time when the limit of our resources seemed to have 
 been reached, without four thousand dollars more still needed to complete 
 and furnish the building. We recall with keenest pleasure the further liber- 
 ality coupled with wisdom with which Colonel and Mrs. Busey offered us 
 the new pipe organ on condition that all funds needed be raised before dedi- 
 cation day. We praise God for his blessing upon us, in that — through the 
 liberality of our congregation and our many friends in the other churches and 
 in the community, we were enabled to perfect this condition. Our great satis- 
 faction and joy in dedication day, in that every dollar had been raised in 
 advance, was, we believe under God's blessing, due to the stimulus of this 
 conditional gift of the organ. 
 
 "And now we rejoice greatly in the generous execution of the beautiful 
 and sweet-toned instrument that graces our auditorium and adds so greatly 
 to our worship. We are sure that we express not only the heartfelt gratitude 
 but also the sincere desire and prayer of every member of our church for 
 God's blessing upon the generous donors." 
 
 It was during Mr. Hunt's pastorate that the chorus choir was 
 abandoned and a quartet was substituted in its place, and, for the 
 first time in the history of the church, a small fund was appropri- 
 ated for the purchase of music and for the payment of the organist 
 and the quartet. For years the Glovers had directed the choir and 
 met the expense of its maintenance. Fifty dollars for music and two 
 hundred dollars for musicians must have seemed to them like finding 
 gold in California. By 1905 the amount appropriated for the music 
 of the church was $550, and later this amount was almost doubled. 
 
 In the fall of 1003 occurred the death of Mr. T. R. Leal. Mr. 
 Leal had been an adherent of the church since its organization. As 
 teacher, Sunday School superintendent and trustee, he had been an 
 active force for almost fifty years. The Session's record shows the 
 following minute : 
 
 "The Session desires to place on record its keen sense of the loss this 
 church and the whole community have sustained in the death of Thomas R. 
 Leal. Yet with this sense of loss there is also the spirit of gratitude for all 
 that he was permitted to do and to be in this community. We are thankful for 
 long years of wise counsel, and loyal service rendered as an officer of the 
 church, but we are grateful most of all for the high standard which he set 
 of Christian living and for his kindness of heart and incorruptible integrity." 
 
 In February, 1904, Mr. Hunt received a call to the Presbyterian 
 church of Madison, Wisconsin, and announced his intention of 
 accepting. It was with feeling of the deepest regret that the officers 
 of the church and the members of the congregation received this 
 announcement. Mr. Hunt's pastorate had witnessed a remarkable 
 development in the strength, influence and membership of the 
 church. Under his ministry the church had been almost recreated. 
 
 [32] 
 
During the interim between pastorates the Reverend A. J. Berger 
 was appointed stated supply. Many people will still remember his 
 straightforward, magnetic sermons. He was one of the real 
 preachers to fill the pulpit of the Urbana church and, old man as 
 he was, there were many who felt a personal loss when the time came 
 for him to step aside. 
 
 On July 10, 1904, the congregation voted to call the Reverend 
 S. W. Findley of Oquawka, Illinois. Mr. Findley accepted the call 
 and took up his work in September. 
 
 On December 12, 1904, on the resignation of Professor E. B. 
 Green, Dean Thomas Arkle Clark was elected Clerk of the Session, 
 a position which he has held to date. 
 
 In January, 1905, in view of the fact that a considerable amount 
 of subscriptions had not been collected, the Trustees voted to appoint 
 a financial agent to have charge of such matters. Mrs. Hattie Knowl- 
 ton was appointed to this position. 
 
 Mr. Findley's pastorate was marked by no single outstanding 
 event. He was one of the kindest, most considerate, most under- 
 standing pastors the church has ever had. He knew just the right 
 thing to say at times of sorrow or of rejoicing. The church member- 
 ship and subscriptions for the support of the church increased ma- 
 terially under his ministry. The statistical report for 1909-10 showed 
 a membership of 320 in the Sunday School, 102 in the Christian En- 
 deavor Society the largest in the city, and a church membership of 
 40T. The church was said to be in the best financial condition in 
 years. There was a good deal of discussion of the church music dur- 
 ing Mr. Findley's pastorate, and a number of readjustments before 
 everybody was satisfied if, indeed, every one is ever satisfied. The 
 music situation continued to arouse comment and discussion for a 
 number of years, — choir versus quartet being the chief subject of 
 argument and how much either should be paid. Some foolish and 
 unjust feeling was stirred up. 
 
 Following Mrs. T. S. Hubbard's death in 1907, the following 
 minute was recorded : 
 
 "The Session of the First Presbyterian church of Urbana desires to ex- 
 press its grateful appreciation of the loving and efficient services of Mrs. T. 
 S. Hubbard, who for years, has served this church as treasurer of its funds 
 and guardian of it's communion service." 
 
 In the spring of 1911 Mrs. S. T. Busey presented to the church 
 the communion set which is in use at this time for which she received 
 special thanks from the Session. 
 
 On December 21, 1913. Mr. Findley tendered his resignation to 
 the congregation to take effect one week later, to permit him to ac- 
 cept a call to the Morgan Park. Illinois, Presbyterian church. He 
 
had served the church faithfully and well for more than nine years 
 and longer than any other pastor before his coming. 
 
 During the time between pastorates Professor Edward C. Hayes 
 preached for the congregation. 
 
 It was not easy to find a successor to Mr. Findley. The first two 
 men whom the congregation agreed upon — the Reverend James 
 H. Laughlin, of Janesville, Wisconsin, and the Reverend E. G. 
 Hildner, of Princeton, Indiana, — did not find it possible or feasible 
 to accept the call tendered them. 
 
 On October 25, 1914, the Committee in charge of the selection 
 of a pastor recommended that a call be extended to the Reverend 
 Mr. J. J. Wilson, of Virginia, Illinois. On the first ballot the con- 
 gregation voted unanimously to call Mr. Wilson — an initial unani- 
 mity which had never before occurred in the history of the church. 
 Mr. Wilson accepted the call and began his pastorate on the first 
 Sunday in December, 1914. 
 
 Mr. Wilson continued to serve the church for almost ten years. 
 It was not until April, 1924, that he tendered his resignation to ac- 
 cept a call to the church at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. These ten years 
 were very prosperous and progressive years in the history of the 
 church. Financially, socially, and spiritually the church forged 
 ahead. New organizations sprang up — Philo Christus Society in 
 March, 1916, Westminster Guild in the spring of 1917, and the 
 Men's Club in October, 1921, with Professor Provine as President. 
 In January, 1921, the Session voted to support a missionary, and a 
 year later, Miss Miriam Null, having offered her services for the 
 work, it was definitely agreed to assume her support. This was 
 made possible through the increased interest of the congreeation in 
 Missions and the increased contributions for benevolent work. The 
 Session report when Mr. Wilson came to the church showed a total 
 of $450.00 in yearly gifts for benevolences; in 1920-21 this amount 
 had grown to $3,816.00 and the grand total for the support of the 
 church had reached $10,466.00. 
 
 Mrs. Hattie Knowlton was responsible for the organization of 
 the Philo Christus Society. In making her report upon the forming 
 of this organization the president said : 
 
 "To Mrs. Knowlton much credit is due. Out of her love for her 
 church and her love for all young women she has given much time 
 and thought to this new organization, that it mav be helpful to the 
 church and helpful to the young women who are its members." 
 
 Myra Love was first president of Westminster Guild and Grace 
 Dexter, secretary. 
 
 Many points of interest are worthv of mention durin? Mr. Wil- 
 son's regime. At the congregational meeting April 4, 1917, Mrs. 
 
 [341 
 
W. T. Burford presented a series of resolutions touching on the World 
 War into which we were just entering, the gist of which was, "That 
 we give our loyal support to the President of the United States and 
 his advisers, combined with our united prayers for their wise guid- 
 ance, regardless of party affiliation, and that we have one desire, one 
 aim, and one purpose in view which may be, that the righteousness 
 of our nation be exalted, and its best welfare be promoted." The 
 resolutions were adopted. 
 
 Dean Clark had been teaching a Sunday School class of young 
 men for some years, and it is quite remarkable that all of these men 
 but one, Donald Glover who was in medical school and not permit- 
 ted to enlist, entered military service and were commissioned and 
 that all but one, Charles Bowen Busey, came back unharmed. Lieu- 
 tenant Busey was killed in action. 
 
 A quotation from the report of the Session in April, 1917, indi- 
 cates the condition of the church : 
 
 "The past year in the life of our church has, on the whole, been very 
 satisfactory. While the outgrowth may not have been all that we could hope 
 for, yet there are unmistakable proofs that the inner or spiritual life has been 
 intensified, and that the bonds of mutual interest and sympathy have become 
 stronger. The constantly growing attendance upon the communion services 
 is a splendid indication of these things." 
 
 The ladies of the Thimble Society this year contributed $400 
 to the support of the church. 
 
 On September 14, 191T, occurred the death of Mr. G. W. Hub- 
 bard, eldest son of T. S. Hubbard, who for many years had been a 
 member of the Board of Elders of the church. 
 
 The Clerk of the Sessions was authorized to send the following 
 note to Mrs. Hubbard : 
 
 "The Session of the church want to express to you and to your family, 
 their sincere sympathy in your bereavement, and to acknowledge the great 
 service which for many years your husband has rendered to the church. His 
 faithfulness in attendance upon the regular services of the church, his will- 
 ingness to serve whenever there was work to be done, and his generosity in 
 contributing to the support of all the activities of the church, will continue to 
 be an inspiration to us all. The church will never be able to repay the great 
 debt which it owes to his faithfulness and to the family which he has coun- 
 seled." 
 
 In January, 1918. because of the coal famine, the Wednesday 
 evening prayer meeting was transferred from the church to the 
 manse. 
 
 The Trustees at one time had considerable discussion as to 
 whether it were better to buy a moving picture machine for the 
 church, secure an assistant for the pastor, or present him with a 
 Ford car in order that he might more easily attend to his pastoral 
 work. The matter was finally left to the pastor to decide, and he, 
 after deliberation, voted for the car. Having bought the car, the 
 
 [35] 
 
church was in something of the same condition as the woman who 
 having bought a new carpet found that she had to refurnish the 
 house. The next thing was a garage. Well, this is a machine age. 
 
 April 2, 1921, the matter of approving the election of women as 
 Ruling Elders was discussed by the Session, but there was no con- 
 sensus of opinion on the subject and no action taken. At a later 
 meeting of the congregation a discussion of this matter was taken 
 up and it was voted that it is not desirable that women should be 
 elected to the office of Ruling Elder or Deacon. 
 
 On March 7, 1923, it was voted to dispense with the evening 
 preaching service and to give this time over to the Young People's 
 Society. 
 
 In 1923 the Board of Elders was increased to eleven members. 
 The subject of enlarging the church came up for serious discussion, 
 but the matter of funds stood in the way, and no definite action was 
 taken during Mr. Wilson's pastorate. 
 
 A successor to Mr. Wilson was found in the person of The Rev- 
 erend Charles Sumner Pier, of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Mr. Pier 
 came to the church in the summer of 1924 and remained until Sep- 
 tember, 1926. 
 
 The church maintained a normal growth during Mr. Pier's ad- 
 ministration, many names being added to the roll. The church build- 
 ing was put into better condition, through the floating of a loan, but 
 it was decided that the Manse was so inadequate and in such a run- 
 down condition that it was better to sell it than to attempt to put it 
 into proper repair. The total membership of the church at the 
 time of Mr. Pier's resignation was five hundred and thirty-five. 
 The Ladies' Thimble Society was doing commendable work and re- 
 ported receipts for the year of $1,686.21. 
 
 The matter of an addition to the church in order properly to take 
 care of Sunday school and other organizations of the church was 
 given full discussion at the congregational meeting in April, 1926. 
 The question as to how such an addition could be financed was set- 
 tled through the generous gift of Mrs. Mary E. Busey, who at so 
 many previous crises had come to the financial rescue of the con- 
 gregation. She assumed the obligation for the erection of the 
 "church house" on the south end of the present church building. The 
 amount of her gift exceeded $12,500.00. 
 
 Mr. Pier's resignation was tendered to the congregation August 
 29, 1926. Professor Jas. A. Melrose, of James Milligan University, 
 Decatur, Illinois, acted as supply following Mr. Pier's withdrawal. 
 If a church has to have a supply, Dr. Melrose is a perfect one. 
 
 The Reverend John H. Gardner Jr., came to the church Febru- 
 ary 1, 192? and is still its pastor. His selection was a most form- 
 
 [36] 
 
nate one, not only because of what he himself is, but also because 
 of his wife. They have youth and training and energy and a vision 
 of the possibilities of a charge like Urbana. Mrs. Gardner is the 
 daughter of The Reverend Dr. Edw. H. Pence, of Detroit, and a 
 niece of Professor W. D. Pence, one time member of the Board of 
 Elders of this church. The Gardner's have come to a congregation 
 which has in it many middle aged and young people — people who 
 may be depended upon for years to come, to carry on the work of 
 the church. Mr. Gardner's ministry has stimulated spirituality, has 
 awakened a general good feeling. Old animosities have been buried 
 and forgotten, and many of the lethargic have been stirred to 
 activity. The hope of every member of the congregation is that the 
 relationship which now exists may long continue. 
 
 The discussion of a new Manse came up early in 1927. A lot 
 was finally contracted for at 403 Indiana avenue and partly paid 
 for by contributions from members of the congregation. The con- 
 tract for the house was let in the summer of 1928, the total cost of 
 the lot and the house being something over $16,000.00 This amount 
 was made available through $7,168.00 from the old parsonage fund, 
 and $2,000.00 subscribed by the Thimble Society, the remainder 
 being borrowed from the Building and Loan Association. The ladies 
 of the Thimble Society agreed to pay $1,000 a year on the debt. It 
 is that sort of women who have kept the church going these seventy- 
 five years. 
 
 On April 7, 1930, occurred the death of Mrs. Mary E. Busey. 
 For more than fifty years she had been a good angel of the church, 
 and her going was an irreparable loss. In her will Mrs. Busey left 
 a trust fund of $4,000, the income from which is to be used for the 
 support of the church. 
 
 By the will of Mrs. Jennie Sloan, the church was also given $200 
 in 1930. 
 
 In March, 1931, a memorial chandalier was installed in the church 
 in memory of Mrs. Lillian J. Dougan who died November 25, 1930. 
 This beautiful memorial was made possible through a bequest of 
 $100 to the church by Mrs. Dougan and the generous contribution 
 of her daughter, Mrs. Bernice Dougan Burgess of Tucson, Arizona. 
 
 At the annual congregational meeting, April 1, 1931, Dean 
 Thomas Arkle Clark was elected to the office of Ruling Elder for 
 life. 
 
 In any church history that is truthfully written it is the women 
 who most often take the heroic roles. It is unfortunate that it is 
 impossible in this brief history to mention all the individuals who 
 during the seventy-five years of its existence have contributed to the 
 advancement and the strengthening of the church. Certainly the in- 
 
 [37] 
 
terest and the untiring efforts of a few outstanding women have had 
 much to do in critical situations of the church's history in holding the 
 organization together. For fifty years or more Mrs. Emeline Leal, 
 Mrs. Isabelle Hunt and Mrs. T. S. Hubbard devoted their strength 
 and their talents to the upbuilding of the church. Mrs. Hunt's name 
 and Mrs. Hubbard's were on the original church roll, and Mrs. Leal's 
 came only a short time later. There is not an activity of the church 
 during the first fifty years of its life with which their names are not 
 connected. As long as she lived Mrs. Hubbard was the church 
 treasurer, and from its organization until physical weakness and the 
 infirmities of old age made it impossible. Mrs. Hunt had charge of 
 the primary class in the church's Sunday School. When she was 
 forced to give up the work Mrs. Glover stepped in and has ever 
 since with few intermissions carried the burden. Mrs. Leal was 
 always on hand when work was to be done. There are other names 
 which shine brightly in the history of the church — Eva Foote, 
 Edna Post Hubbard, "Auntie" Russell, Mary E. Busey who never 
 failed to come forward at financial crises with generous gifts, 
 Mrs. W. H. Smith, Sarah Savage, Hattie Bennett Knowlton, Emma 
 Weber Gere — what a host she has been for forty years in the work 
 of the church, — Mrs. Burford, Mrs. Mason, — its history could not be 
 adequately written without paying loving tribute to these and to 
 many more devoted women. 
 
 There are others carrying on with equal courage today, but the 
 list is too long to be recounted here. It is to them that we owe the 
 progress and the stability of the church. 
 
 May their tribe increase ! 
 
 It is not the business of the historian to prophesy. His duty is 
 to record what had happened, but he can not refrain from saying 
 that the future of the church never looked brighter. The congre- 
 gation is growing, finances are stable, it will not be long before an 
 addition to the church will be imperative, and when this time comes, 
 if the men fall down, the women of the church will come to the 
 front. 
 
 Following is the list of Ruling Elders of the church since its 
 organization, with the period of service of each : 
 
 Thomas S. Hubbard 1857-1802 G. W. Yates 1891-1894 
 
 Alexander M. Ayres 1857-1887 T. C. Hughey 1898-1899 
 
 Samuel M. Noel 1857-1875 John D. Pulliam 1887-1892 
 
 Aaron Bennett 1866-1888 G. P. Clinton 1898-1902 
 
 John A. Glover 1887-1916 W. D. Pence 1898-1899 
 
 James Matheson..l888 — Did not serve J. A. Edwards 1902-To date 
 
 Albon Bevis 1898-1899 & 1907-1913 Geo. W. Hubbard 1902-1917 
 
 F. W. Hall 1899-1905 A. F. Meeks . 1902-1911 
 
 M. B. Hammond 1899-1904 C. D. McLane 1903-1904 
 
 E. B. Greene 1899-1904 Thomas Arkle Clark 1904-To date 
 
 [38] 
 
J. Q. Adams 1905-1906 
 
 E. A. Nichol 1905-1911 
 
 R. H. Stewart 1907-1913 
 
 F. G. Willson 1908-1913 
 
 J. M. Love 1910-1927 
 
 Isaac Mitchell 1911-1913 
 
 J. H. Pettit 1911-1913 
 
 John A. Stewart 1911-1927 
 
 P. A. Glenn 1913-To date 
 
 Harold W. Stewart 1914-1915 
 
 James M. Love 1913-1923 
 
 J. A. Stewart 1914-1927 
 
 C. H. Watts 1915-1930 
 
 C. T. Knipp 1915-1924 
 
 J. G. Thompson 1916-1919 
 
 Jas. Hutchinson 1918-To date 
 
 A. S, Mason 1919-To date 
 
 Emile Rauchenstein 1923-1924 
 
 W. B. NeVens 1923-1926 
 
 T. A. Fitzgerald 1925-1927 
 
 E. T. Robbins 1925-To date 
 
 E. W. Lehman 1926-To date 
 
 D. A. Grossman 1927-To date 
 
 C. M. Woodworth 1927-1929 
 
 James S. Conard 1928-To date 
 
 F. S. Haven 1920-To date 
 
 L. F. Erickson 1930-To date 
 
 Following is a list of Trustees who have served the church for 
 varying periods with the date of election of each. The records are 
 such that it has been difficult to determine the exact constituents of 
 the Board of Trustees for each year : 
 
 T. S. Hubbard 1857 
 
 Asa Gere " 
 
 Elisha Harkness " 
 
 L. M. Cutcheon " 
 
 E. Boyden " 
 
 S. M. Noel " 
 
 W. N. Coler " 
 
 A. M. Ayres " 
 
 A. Lyons " 
 
 George Nichol 1866 
 
 A. P. Cunningham " 
 
 W. J. Ermentrout " 
 
 O. O. Alexander " 
 
 Thompson Elder " 
 
 Warren Dunbar 1870 
 
 J. A. Henderson " 
 
 W. M. Goodwin " 
 
 C. D. Webster 1870 
 
 T. R. Leal 1871 
 
 J. S. McCullough 1874 
 
 Alex Spence 1875 
 
 J. E. Hunt " 
 
 Geo. W. Besore 1878 
 
 T. Monett " 
 
 F. M. Snyder " 
 
 T. B. Kyle 1881 
 
 James Matheson 1884 
 
 William Nichols " 
 
 F. M. Wright " 
 
 G. W. Hubbard 1887 
 
 Dr. Frisler . " 
 
 August Ahlrich 1888 
 
 F. W. Hall 1898 
 
 [39] 
 
 John H. Savage " 
 
 Mrs. E. M. Knowlton " 
 
 Miss Minnie Weber " 
 
 Mrs. S. T. Busey " 
 
 S. C. Briggs 1900 
 
 Mrs. Flora Mclntyre " 
 
 T. A. Burt 1901 
 
 Mrs. F. M. Wright " 
 
 John A. Edwards " 
 
 M. B. Hammond 1902 
 
 L. W. Robinson " 
 
 M. A. Dewey " 
 
 W. W. Huss " 
 
 Mrs. Edward Fulton 1903 
 
 H. T. Hubbard 1904 
 
 H. W. Mumford 1905 
 
 Chester A. Harris 1907 
 
 C. H. Watts 19Q8 
 
 J. H. Gill " 
 
 E. H. Waldo 1910 
 
 F. E. Williamson 1911 
 
 James M. Love 1912 
 
 John McGehee " 
 
 C. C. Burford " 
 
 Mrs. G. K. Linton 1914 
 
 A. S. Mason 19^ 
 
 Mrs. Geo. W. Lindsey 1917 
 
 W. G. Palmer 1918 
 
 Mrs. O. B. Lindley 1921 
 
 L. H. Provine 1921 
 
 W. C. Maguire 1922 
 
 E. T. Robbins 1924 
 
 Mrs'. May Havens 1925 
 
Mrs. Martha L. Nevens 1926 
 
 C F. Schlatter 1927 
 
 W. A. Foster " 
 
 H. H. Braucher " 
 
 H. T. Scovill 1928 
 
 Dr. H. A. Hindman 1929 
 
 Mrs. F. M. Gere " 
 
 Dr. G. R. Blackstone 1930 
 
 Rex L. Brown 1930 
 
 Mrs. Marietta Busey Tawney 1931 
 
 The Reverend John H. Gardner, Jr. 
 
 [401 
 
HISTORY 
 
 of 
 
 Trie First Presbyterian Cnurcn 
 
 URBANA, ILLINOIS 
 
 1931-1956 
 
 By 
 
 CENTENNIAL HISTORY COMMITTEE 
 
 William Habberton 
 Mrs. L. L. Corrie 
 
The Pastors, 1931-1956 
 
 It is interesting to note that, according to available records, twenty- 
 five ministers have served the Urbana church during its hundred-year 
 history. Of this number, six have served during the last twenty-five 
 years. For a brief period following the Civil War there seems to have 
 been no regular minister, the pulpit being filled by supply preachers. 
 
 The Reverend John H. Gardner, Jr., was minister from February, 
 1927, until the spring of 1936. His was one of the longest pastorates 
 in the history of the church. Mr. Gardner was a popular and influ- 
 ential man in the community as well as being an effective leader in 
 the church. During his ministry the new manse was constructed on 
 an attractive lot on Indiana Avenue. The total cost, including land, 
 was approximately $19,500. This comfortable house continues to be 
 the home of our ministers. Mr. Gardner's services were inevitably 
 sought after by other congregations, and in 1936 he accepted the 
 pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, Maryland. 
 He has continued to grow as a leader in the Presbyterian Church, 
 U. S. A. 
 
 Mr. Gardner was succeeded by the Reverend Melvin A. Pearce, 
 who served until October, 1942. Mr. Pearce was an excellent preacher 
 and a man of great personal charm. His qualities and achievements 
 were recognized by Blackburn College, Carlinville, Illinois, which, in 
 June, 1942, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of 
 Divinity. A beautiful reminder of Dr. Pearce's ministry is the pulpit 
 furniture still in use in the church. The pulpit, communion table, and 
 baptismal font were the gift of Dr. Pearce and Mr. H. H. Alp. 
 
 It was during the ministry of Dr. Pearce that the remaining in- 
 debtedness on the manse was liquidated, thanks to the diligent efforts 
 of the ladies' "Thimble Society." The minutes of the meeting of 
 February 29, 1940, record that the Board of Trustees was to be 
 reimbursed for $300 "advanced" by it in order to cancel the mortgage. 
 A note from the Trustees expressing gratitude for the enterprise and 
 devotion of the ladies of the church was read at one of their later 
 meetings. 
 
 Dr. Pearce was called to the church at Hutchinson, Kansas, from 
 which he returned to Illinois to serve the Northminster Church at 
 Evanston. He continues, therefore, to be an important ministerial 
 leader of the Synod of Illinois. 
 
 Reverend Herbert J. Doran came from Dixon, Illinois, in 1943, 
 and served the Urbana church effectively until 1948, when he accepted 
 
 [43] 
 
a call to the First Presbyterian Church of Vancouver, Washington. 
 Mr. Doran was a man of great intelligence and deep spiritual insight. 
 His sermons were thoughtful and penetrating, and his listeners in- 
 variably left the sanctuary in a mood of reverence and uplift. During 
 Mr. Doran's ministry the need for additional Sunday Church School 
 facilities became increasingly evident, and tentative plans were made 
 for building. The war years, however, did not seem propitious for 
 such an undertaking, and the building program was postponed. Even- 
 tually, planning was resumed, with the gratifying results to be de- 
 scribed later. 
 
 The years following Mr. Doran's departure were trying ones in 
 the church. For many months the congregation was without a minis- 
 ter ; and it is a tribute to the faith and devotion of the membership 
 that services were held regularly and the functions of the church were 
 maintained without the guidance of a pastor. It is proper here to 
 record the great help given during these months by the Reverend 
 A. Ray Cartlidge of the First Presbyterian Church, Champaign, and 
 the Reverend James R. Hine of the McKinley Memorial Church, 
 Champaign. Serving as Moderators, preaching, counseling, encourag- 
 ing, their services, given in a Christian spirit, will long be remembered 
 with sincere appreciation. Also, it should be said, Dr. Ralph Cum- 
 mins, (ieneral Presbyter, Synod of Illinois, gave generously of his 
 time and counsel. His mature wisdom and insight were of immense 
 importance, especially during this period. His friendship for the 
 church has continued to be one of its treasured assets. 
 
 Two other ministerial friends of the Church who served it for 
 brief periods, but in a distinguished manner, were Dr. E. F. Nickoley 
 and Dr. William M. Hudson. Both were men of high educational and 
 intellectual accomplishments ; both were inspiring speakers ; both were 
 dedicated Christians. Their willingness to serve when their services 
 were badly needed, notwithstanding personal inconvenience, was char- 
 acteristic of their generous spirits. 
 
 Reverend Theodore ( ). M. Wills was called to the Urbana Church 
 in 1949 and served for one year. In the autumn of 1950 he was 
 stricken with a heart attack and died after a brief illness. He cor- 
 rectly assessed the seriousness of his condition, and in the days pre- 
 ceding his death composed a moving letter addressed to the last 
 congregation he was to serve. His passing left the church once more 
 confronted by the necessity of rinding a minister. That this was by 
 no means an easy task was well known, and it was approached with 
 earnest thoughtfulness by those to whom it was committed. 
 
 I 44 1 
 
After making a thorough survey of the field, the Pulpit Committee 
 selected the Reverend Luther P. Powell. A young man of great vigor 
 (he had won high honors for his skill in tennis) and of strong con- 
 victions, his preaching attracted much attention and generally favor- 
 able comment. He did not hesitate to deal with controversial subjects 
 or to engage in public debate on questions affecting the moral and 
 civic interests of the community. 
 
 Mr. Powell was greatly concerned with the rural churches of the 
 country. He considered their loss of membership and declining in- 
 fluence one of the most regrettable facts of contemporary American 
 life. When, therefore, Drew Theological Seminary, from which he 
 had received a doctor's degree, urged him to accept the chair of Rural 
 Theology, he felt that it was his duty to do so. Indeed, he was told 
 that the continuation of instruction in this area was dependent upon 
 his acceptance. It was with great regret that the Session accepted his 
 request for a release after slightly more than a year of service. His 
 relationship with the church was dissolved as of July 31, 1952. 
 
 Thus, the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana in a period of less 
 than two years lost two ministers, one by death and one by resignation. 
 It was recognized that the situation was somewhat critical. Not only 
 was a very able man demanded by the situation, but one whose services 
 might be expected to continue for a number of years. Already certain 
 members of the church knew of the Reverend Joseph R. Laughlin and 
 believed him to be a highly qualified candidate. Fortunately, it was 
 discovered that though he was enjoying unusual success as the as- 
 sociate pastor of the large First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, 
 Kansas, he was interested in becoming pastor of a smaller church. 
 He was, in fact, attracted to the community of Champaign-Urbana 
 and to the First Church, Urbana, in particular. The congregation 
 enthusiastically reciprocated, and, on November 1, 1952, Mr. Laughlin 
 became the twenty-fifth minister of the church. He was destined to 
 serve during the concluding years of the first century of its history. 
 
 It would be embarrassing to the present minister if the historian 
 were to undertake to catalog all his virtues or were to dwell upon his 
 achievements in Urbana. Yet such has been the growth of the church 
 eluring these fruitful years anel such the significance of recent develop- 
 ments, that the rest of this history cannot be separated from Mr. 
 Laughlin's ministry. That these achievements were not his alone, he 
 would be the first to insist. But the spirit of cooperation and desire 
 to do one's full part, so admirably displayed by the members of the 
 
 [45 1 
 
congregation, itself reflects the confidence and warm esteem in which 
 he is held, and is a measure of the effectiveness of his leadership. 
 
 In passing, it should be said that our ministers have had their 
 wives, one of them (Mr. Pearce) acquiring his locally. These good 
 and gracious women, have, in their way, played a most important part 
 in the life of the church, and it is to be regretted that such a brief and 
 somewhat anonymous mention may be made of them. 
 
 Growth of the Church 
 
 Shortly after Mr. Laughlin became minister he said, "I anticipate 
 with you the record of numerical, physical and spiritual growth that 
 lies ahead. I sincerely believe that our Church has an unlimited 
 potential. God has been good to give us a great opportunity for 
 growth." His words proved to be strikingly prophetic. As of Decem- 
 ber 31, 1952, the membership of the Church was 610; by the end of 
 1953 it had increased to 646; by the end of 1954, to 724; by the end 
 of 1955, to 810. At the present time (October, 1956) it has reached 
 933. It is doubtful whether there has been a comparable period of 
 growth in the entire century of the life of the church. And certainly 
 this growth has far exceeded that of the Presbyterian Church at large, 
 in a period of generally gratifying increase. 
 
 It has been one of Mr. Laughlin's chief concerns that the Sunday 
 Church School should receive the strongest possible support. He has 
 frequently said, "The church must teach, or it will die." In time the 
 Urbana church was to realize its desire for an education building 
 suitably to house its Church School. But prior to this time important 
 steps were taken to stimulate interest, to augment and improve the 
 teaching and supervisory staff, and to enrich the curriculum at all 
 levels. In order to implement this program, one of the first steps 
 taken was to add to the church staff a full-time Director of Christian 
 Education. Miss LaYeda F. Mayers, who assumed this important 
 position, brought to her work sound preparation and a dedicated spirit. 
 She continues to serve, and her office has become increasingly im- 
 portant in directing and coordinating all the education activities of 
 the church. The employment of Miss Mayers was itself a significant 
 event, in that it was the first time in the history of the church that a 
 professionally trained person, other than the minister himself, became 
 permanently associated with it. 
 
 Under the leadership of Mr. Laughlin and Miss Mayers, the 
 
 [46 1 
 
Sunday Guirch School grew even more rapidly than did membership 
 in the church itself. From an average attendance of 139 in 1951, the 
 Church School has grown to an enrollment of 410. 
 
 Needless to say, such rapid growth placed severe strain on the 
 physical facilities of the church. To meet the situation, as well as to 
 offer increased opportunities for public worship, the Session, in the 
 autumn of 1954, approved the minister's recommendation that two 
 identical services be held, one at nine-thirty and the other at eleven 
 o'clock. It was found that this arrangement was a great convenience 
 to many persons, for some of whom, indeed, attendance at a late 
 morning service was impossible. That conducting two services and 
 preaching two sermons in one morning made heavy demands on the 
 minister was undeniable. Some considered it too heavy a load. But 
 Mr. Laughlin accepted it as his "reasonable service." 
 
 A year later — that is, the autumn of 1955 — the Church School, its 
 classes filled to capacity, took the same step, initiating dual sessions at 
 9:30 and 11 :00. Dr. Franklin Reiss, the earnest and capable super- 
 intendent of the Church School, says : "It is a thrilling sight to see 
 entire families coming to our church for an hour of worship and 
 Church School at the same time." He adds : "A word of praise must 
 be spoken for the willing and capable people who make possible our 
 double Sunday School staffs." Certainly all members and friends of 
 the church heartily second these words of appreciation for an ex- 
 tremely important job well done. 
 
 The growth, enthusiasm, and dedicated service that have charac- 
 terized the Church School during recent years have been equally 
 evident in other phases of the church program. Two large and ex- 
 cellent groups of young people of junior and senior high school age 
 bear witness to the concern of the church for its youth. A graded 
 choir program embraces all ages from junior-age children up. A Boy 
 Scout Troop and Explorer Post sponsored by the Men's Club provide 
 opportunities for wholesome activities, in a Christian environment, 
 for from 60 to 70 growing boys of the church community. 
 
 These activities, to which should be added the numerous, fre- 
 quently unrecognized services of the women of the church, represent 
 countless hours of work done by the lay people. But behind their 
 labors stands the personality of the minister. His faith, his prayers, 
 and his leadership have resulted in a Men's Prayer Group, evening 
 study groups, a Board of Parish Visitors, a Board of Church School 
 Callers, and a Board of New Life Callers. It has been suggested that 
 "New Life" is fittingly descriptive of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 Urbana, as it faces a second century of service. 
 
 [471 
 
The Urbana Church and the 
 Church at Large 
 
 While the Urbana church was growing and while its annual budget 
 was correspondingly increasing, its Benevolence obligations were not 
 being overlooked. Indeed, in rather special ways the church interested 
 itself in missions at home and beyond the seas. An undertaking that 
 brought deep satisfaction to many members, especially the women of 
 the church, was the support of Miss Miriam E. Null, who for many 
 years was a missionary in China. Miss Null was a personal represen- 
 tative of the Urbana church in the mission field. She died in August, 
 1956, after a long career of valiant service. 
 
 Nearer home, the Urbana church for a number of years helped 
 support the newly organized Presbyterian Church at Rantoul, this 
 support being included as a regular item in the budget of the church. 
 Because of the increasing strength of the Rantoul church, this support 
 is to be withdrawn at the end of the current fiscal year (1956). But 
 a new responsibility is being planned, that of regular financial assis- 
 tance to the Community Presbyterian Church of Champaign. The 
 Community Church is the most recently organized Presbyterian 
 Church in Champaign County. Situated in an area of rapid growth, 
 it serves the needs of a new part of Champaign-Urbana where the 
 opportunities are great. The Urbana church has a deep concern for 
 its success. 
 
 One of the must gratifying accomplishments of the church was in 
 connection with the Displaced Persons program. In 1950, after care- 
 ful arrangements had been made, the church brought to the community 
 Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mangian and their small daughter. Mr. Man- 
 gian was a Greek; Mrs. Mangian was an Austrian. Surely in the 
 entire D P program, no effort has proved more happily successful. 
 For this fine family, it has meant new friends, new opportunities, a 
 new home, and American citizenship. For the church which spon- 
 sored it, it has brought an experience of helpfulness, richly rewarded 
 by the presence of these good friends from overseas who have become 
 members of the church and earnest fellow-workers in the Kingdom. 
 The family has grown. There arc now four Mangian children, two 
 girls and two boys. 
 
 I 48 I 
 
The Building Program 
 
 The Urbana church, the planning and construction of which are 
 recounted in an earlier part of this history, is a dignified and beloved 
 building. But it is an old building, inadequate for the needs of a 
 rapidly growing congregation. A good deal was done to it by way of 
 ingenious adaptation, and classes in the Church School were meeting 
 in rather surprising places. As for congregational dinners and similar 
 large occasions, the second floor, which included kitchen facilities, was 
 used. It would be untrue to say that members of the church were 
 unhappy in these humble and homey surroundings. Indeed, many 
 older persons will remember with fondness gatherings in the old 
 upstairs. But the fact remained that, with the rapid increase in church 
 membership and with the rapid expansion of the Church School, the 
 need for new facilities was becoming more and more pressing. 
 
 The first important step was taken in 1948. At that time, the 
 Session appointed a Long Range Planning Committee to work on the 
 problem of determining the physical needs of the church and of pro- 
 posing ways and means of meeting them. The committee recommended 
 that a new building be constructed on the site of the "Church House," 
 immediately north of the church building. The dwelling located there 
 had been the home of Mrs. Mae Nicolaus, a devoted member of the 
 congregation, and was being used at the time by the Sunday Church 
 School. The new building recommended by the Long Range Planning 
 Committee was to meet the needs of the Church School and of the 
 youth program generally, and was to provide adequate space for 
 dining and recreational facilities for the entire congregation. Three 
 years later (in 1951) this committee recommended that the Board of 
 Trustees negotiate for the purchase of the vacant lot on Elm Street 
 lying immediately west of the Church House. It also recommended 
 that the Trustees secure the advice of architects in order to prepare 
 preliminary plans for presentation to the congregation. 
 
 On March 9, 1952, a Temporary Building Committee was formed 
 to ascertain specific needs and to work with the architects in formu- 
 lating plans. On October 12, 1952, this committee recommended that 
 the church enter a contract with Berger-Kelley and Associates, archi- 
 tects, of Champaign. The architects were to begin at once to draw 
 plans. 
 
 On February 22, 1953, the Board of Trustees appointed a Per- 
 manent Building Committee to work with the architects and to con- 
 sider the question of financing construction. On July 19, 1953, the 
 
 [49] 
 
GROUND-BREAKING SERVICE FOR THE 
 CHAPEL-EDUCATION BUILDING 
 
 October 4. 1953 
 Participants (left to right): Frank J. Schwartz. Contractor; Thomas E. 
 Berger, Architect ; the Rev. Joseph R. Laughlin ; and Dr. E. L. Theiss, chair- 
 man of the Building Committee. 
 
 plans which had been approved by the Building Committee were 
 presented to the congregation for consideration. The plans were 
 generally acceptable, and the Board of Trustees was authorized to 
 enter into a contract to the extent of $170,000 (later increased to 
 $186,000) for the construction of a Chapel-Education Building. It 
 was the consensus of the congregation that the plans provided skill- 
 fully for the blending of the new with the old. It was generally be- 
 lieved, also, that the expansion beyond the modest structure earlier 
 envisaged was desirable and necessary in the light of the enlarged 
 program of the church. The amount of the contemplated expenditure, 
 
 [50] 
 
though large, was believed not to be beyond the capacity of the 
 congregation to support. 
 
 On October 4, 1953, ground was broken. Favored by mild, bright 
 weather, construction proceeded apace throughout the ensuing winter. 
 By the end of August, 1954, it had reached the 'point at which grading 
 and seeding of the lawn could be accomplished. Many willing workers 
 among the men of the church were found to do much of this job. In 
 September, 1954, the concrete floors of the new building were cleaned 
 and prepared for the covering of asphalt tile. Again, non-professional 
 labor accomplished a really professional job. The men of the church, 
 under the supervision of trained persons, did excellent work, and 
 effected a substantial saving. 
 
 One of the parts of the building in which there was special interest 
 was the kitchen. The women of the church had patiently worked in 
 the archaic quarters provided in the old building, and it was with 
 considerable enthusiasm that the Women's Association undertook the 
 planning and equipping of the new kitchen. As a special project, they 
 purchased the finest of stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, and stainless 
 steel cabinets, and in general made this part of the new structure a 
 model to be admired by all. It has proved to be functional to a high 
 degree. 
 
 The Sunday Church School began using the new building on 
 October 24, 1954. Classes for nursery, kindergarten, primary, junior, 
 and junior-high groups were accommodated in the beautifully ap- 
 pointed rooms, with their well-arranged, adjustable walls. The high 
 school and adult groups continue to use rooms in the Sanctuary unit. 
 
 It is impossible here to record all the numerous and varied uses 
 to which the Chapel-Education Building has been, and is being put. 
 Mariners and youth groups, Men's Club and Boy Scouts, Mothers 
 and Daughters, Presbytery and Synod — all these and more have 
 found here the gracious answer to their needs. 
 
 As for Westminster Chapel (for such it was named), its beauty 
 and sanctity have added meaning to moments of meditation, to inti- 
 mate services of worship, and to marriages solemnized within its walls. 
 And those who have brought here their dead must have felt with new 
 comfort the words, "I am the resurrection and the life." One cannot 
 adequately describe the beauty of Westminster Chapel ; it must be 
 experienced. 
 
 Formal dedication of the Chapel-Education Building was held on 
 Sunday, November 14, 1954. Many persons participated. The choir 
 
 [51] 
 
THE WESTMINSTER CHAPEL 
 Dedicated April 4, 1955 
 
 sang Brahms's beautiful "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place." Dr. 
 Robert G. Bone, an elder, brought greetings from the University of 
 Illinois. Dr. Robert Worth Frank, President of McCormick Theo- 
 logical Seminary, gave the dedicatory address, using the theme, "Why 
 the World Needs the Gospel." In the presentation-of-keys ceremony, 
 Mr. Thomas E. Berger, architect, Mr. Frank J. Schwartz, contractor, 
 
 [52] 
 
Dr. E. L. Theiss, chairman of the Building Committee, Dr. J. F. Bell, 
 president of the Board of Trustees, and Reverend Joseph R. Laughlin 
 participated. And all attending had their part in the ritual of the 
 "Act of Dedication" : 
 
 "To Thee, God, we dedicate this house." 
 What is to he said of the numerous friends and members of the 
 church who made possible the Chapel-Education Building? Surely 
 they cannot be named — their number is too great. Yet there are a 
 few persons whose names must be mentioned, a few gifts — not neces- 
 sarily the largest — that have a special historical interest. Mrs. Mae 
 Nicolaus gave her girlhood home to the church and made a generous 
 bequest in her will. Her name has been given to the "Parlor" of the 
 new building. Mr. Frank J. Schwartz, the master builder, scrupulously 
 guided every operation, and added to this contribution that of a major 
 part of his legitimate fee. Mr. Schwartz' name has been given to the 
 "Fellowship Hall." Mr. Richard Frank Musson, not a member of 
 the Urbana church, bequeathed it forty acres of valuable Champaign 
 County land, the return from the sale of which materially aided the 
 total project. Miss Laura Belle Ayres, daughter of one of the great 
 Presbyterian families of an earlier generation, bequeathed a valuable 
 house and lot in Urbana. Dean Thomas Arkle Clark and Mrs. Clark, 
 having given so much during their lifetime, made a generous bequest 
 to live after them. The children of Mrs. F. M. Gere and of Mr. and 
 Mrs. John A. Glover added to the gifts previously made by these two 
 devoted women, each of whom had taught in the Church School for 
 more than thirty-five years. The kindergarten rooms were dedicated 
 to the memory of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Glover, and the primary 
 department was dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Emma Gere. The 
 lovely nursery rooms were designated as the Freeman-Palmer Nur- 
 sery, given by Mrs. Marie Freeman Palmer and Paul W. Freeman, 
 in memory of Carrie F. Freeman and William G. Palmer. The 
 Women's Association plans to place in the parlor a picture in honor 
 and memory of Mrs. Hattie Bennett Knowlton who, at the time of 
 her death in November, 1955, was the oldest member of our church. 
 Reverend Laughlin characterized her in these words : "As we look at 
 our Church today, we can quickly see the influence and the blessings 
 of Mrs. Knowlton's life." 
 
 The thirty or more persons, most of them by no means wealthy, 
 who felt that they should be among the thousand-dollar donors, served 
 finally to vindicate the common faith that the job could be done. Their 
 
 [53] 
 
names appear on plaques adorning the walls of the Chapel-Education 
 Building. 
 
 One gift may be described in words that appeared as part of the 
 special program of dedication of the furnishings of Westminster 
 Chapel : "The Chapel furniture, the chancel appointments and the 
 Baldwin organ were the gift of Mrs. Robbins in memory of her hus- 
 band, Ernest Thompson Robbins. For 28 years Mr. Robbins was a 
 faithful and devoted member of the First Presbyterian Church of 
 Urbana. He was a loyal Churchman, a ruling Elder of the Church 
 for 26 years, a friend of the children and youth of the Church, and a 
 man who has left a lasting mark on the life of the Church. It is with 
 reverence and gratitude that the congregation of the First Presby- 
 terian Church, through the Session of the Church, receives this 
 generous and appropriate gift, and dedicates it to the memory of Elder 
 Robbins and to the glory and praise of God." 
 
 This section of the history, surely the most stirring, may well be 
 concluded with a list of the men and women of the church who served 
 so faithfully as members of the Building Committee. Theirs was a 
 great responsibility ; theirs, with God's help, a glorious achievement ! 
 
 THE BUILDING COMMITTEE 
 
 Mrs. O. T. Bonnett Mr. Lowell Fisher 
 
 Mr. L. E. Card Mrs. S. H. Pierce 
 
 Mr. P. D. Converse Dr. G. L. Porter 
 
 Mr. Ivan Danhof Mr. Frank J. Schwartz 
 
 Mrs. C. H. Farnham Mr. H. T. Scovill 
 
 Mr. E. L. Theiss, chairman 
 
 Mr. R. W. Bills, znce-chairman 
 
 Mrs. Jo C. Williamson, secretary 
 
 Mr. J. F. Bell, member ex-officio 
 
 Rev. Joseph R. Laughlin, member cx-officio 
 
 THE SUB-COMMITTEES 
 
 Finance Sub-Commiltee 
 
 Mr. H. T. Scovill. chairman 
 Mr. W. E. Thomas 
 Mr. P. M. Van Arsdell 
 
 Special Gifts and Memorials Sub-Committee 
 Mr. Jo C. Williamson, chairman 
 Mr. E. W. Lehmann 
 Mr. L. L. Corrie 
 
 Chapel Furnishings Sub-Committee 
 Mr. L. H. Provine, chairman 
 Mrs. E. T. Robbins 
 Mr>. L. L. Corrie 
 
 I 54 1 
 
Education Building Furnishings Sub-Committee 
 
 Mrs. S. H. Pierce, chairman 
 
 Mrs. O. T. Bonnett 
 
 Mrs. C. H. Farnham 
 Parlor Furnishing Sub-Committee 
 
 Mrs. J. F. Bell, chairman 
 Mrs. J. C. T. Rogers 
 Mrs. Fred Green 
 
 Kitchen Furnishing Sub-Committee 
 
 Mrs. C. H. Farnham, chairman 
 
 The Church Staff 
 
 For many years the Urbana church had a small but excellent staff, 
 with much of the clerical work of the church office being done by 
 young women employed on an hourly basis. During the ministry of 
 Reverend Herbert J. Doran, a full-time secretary was employed. At 
 the time of the death of Reverend Theodore O. M. Wills, in October, 
 1950, the church was without a secretary, and the Session was most 
 fortunate to procure the services of Miss Efffe Turner, a faithful mem- 
 ber of the church and a former teacher. Miss Turner served on a 
 part-time basis until the arrival of Reverend Luther P. Powell in 
 June, 1951. At this time, she began serving on a full-time basis. She 
 also served as secretary to Reverend Joseph R. Laughlin until her 
 retirement in August, 1953. Writing in The Toiler, monthly con- 
 gregational publication of the church, Mr. Laughlin said of Miss 
 Turner : "Her fine stenographic ability, her devotion to her Church, 
 her great desire to serve people, and her willingness to go far beyond 
 the second mile in her work has won for her the respect, friendship, 
 and gratitude of the entire congregation." 
 
 Mrs. Gertrude S. Griesheimer succeeded Miss Turner as the 
 pastor's secretary. She brought to her work exceptionally high quali- 
 fications. Following her graduation from Cornell University, she was 
 in charge of the responsible work of teacher certification there. Pos- 
 sessed of gracious personality, high intelligence, and unusual clerical 
 competence, she serves the church with great efficiency. 
 
 Undoubtedly, something of a record has been established by the 
 church sexton. For forty-five years Mr. Henry T. Wyninger has 
 served the church with great faithfulness. To Mr. Wyninger, being 
 church sexton has been more than a job — rather, a Christian mission. 
 In 1951, the congregation held a special dinner in honor of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wyninger. It was a dual occasion: the fiftieth wedding anni- 
 
 [55] 
 
versary of the honored guests and the fortieth of Mr. Wyninger's 
 service to the church. In 1954, the Board of Trustees made Mr. 
 Wyninger an honorary member of that important body — a fitting 
 honor for long and faithful service. 
 
 When the new Chapel-Education Building was completed, it be- 
 came necessary to enlarge the custodial staff. Mr. William Karr was 
 employed as sexton of the new building. 
 
 It would be impossible to list the names of all those who have 
 served so well as members of the church staff. But those who are 
 currently serving may be mentioned. The coming of Miss La Veda F. 
 Mayers as Director of Christian Education has been referred to. Miss 
 Harriet Francis is the efficient financial secretary, she having suc- 
 ceeded Miss Maude Alverson, who held this position for more than 
 twenty years. Mrs. A. O. Dawson became the church organist in 1950. 
 She is not only an outstanding instrumentalist ; in addition, she has 
 shown fine abilities as a choir director, and she has assumed the dual 
 responsibility of directing the choirs and playing the organ at times 
 when there was no regular choral director. Recently (in September, 
 1956) Mr. Jay Allen was employed as choir director. He brought to 
 his duties a rich background of choral training and experience. In 
 September, 1956, a new staff position was created by the Session — 
 that of full-time Parish Visitor. Mrs. Stanley Hall, for many years 
 an active member of the church, was employed to fill this important 
 position. 
 
 Thus, as the church grew in numbers and in influence, and as the 
 physical facilities were enlarged, the church staff was increased to 
 meet the growing needs. It is an admirable group of dedicated Chris- 
 tians who lead in the work of the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana 
 as its first century of service ends and as it looks forward with con- 
 fidence to the years that lie ahead. 
 
 ( )ne incident of the centennial year which produced much satis- 
 faction to the members of the church was the honor that came to the 
 pastor. In June, 1956, Millikin University, one of the strongest 
 church-affiliated institutions of the state, conferred upon him the 
 honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. The citation, signed by the 
 Reverend Robert R. Crothers, summarized the achievements of Dr. 
 Laughlin. All the statements contained in the citation are pertinent. 
 But the reference to his leadership in achieving the great goal of the 
 Chapel-Education Building, his "strong emphasis on Christian family 
 
 [56] 
 
life," his "special interest in the field of Christian education," his 
 contributions to the Faith and Life Curriculum of the Presbyterian 
 Church and to other religious publications — these seem to point up the 
 areas of special strength of Dr. Laughlin's ministry. Yet surely even 
 this impressive enumeration is not all. The -chief strength of the 
 twenty-fifth pastor of the Urbana Presbyterian Church lies not in any 
 professional competence, important as this may be. It lies, rather, in 
 the possession of those Christian virtues of which St. Paul wrote — 
 Faith, Hope, and Love. And to the centennial pastor, also, the greatest 
 of these is Love ! 
 
 OUR CENTENNIAL PASTOR 
 Rev. Joseph R. Laughlin, D.D. 
 
 [57] 
 
7200-s 1$ 
 P*-3I 
 
 c 
 
AMUJOW&® 
 
 PAT. NO. 3,161,423 
 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA 
 
 285.177366C333 C001 
 
 CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF THE FIRST PRESBYTE 
 
 3 0112 025277572