Dear Group, Forgive me if this turns out to be the second time you receive this message but I haven't yet seen it come up on our list yet in spite of seeing a subsequent message I sent very recently show up. And I'll also apologize for re-posting the next message I sent to the list because it, too, hasn't shown up yet. Both messages were posted over two hours ago. vee May 24, 2000 In the episode that I watched this evening of the videotape interview of Cora Gushee, Danny and she discussed their favorite subject, the history of the Presbyterian Church of Youngstown. Danny questioned her about Ashbel G. (or C.) Hinman. It was obvious that they had discussed him in the past regarding the church history-and Danny has made a videotape of that history. He lead her to talk about Ashbel and she said that he had come here as a young man, 19 years old, in 1819, along with his sister Henrietta Hinman. [In the 1820 census of Town of Porter he is shown as head of household, age 16-26-born between 1795 and 1804-and the only other member of the household was a female, age 10-16-born between 1805 and 1810.] He was appointed the second postmaster of Youngstown that we had and it's possible that he came here with that appointment already in hand. There are no records here that show where he and his sister came from nor who their parents were. He was apparently an educated man and shortly after his arrival here he became acquainted with young soldiers from Fort Niagara who were interested in studying the Bible with him and they formed a Bible Study group that was conducted in his home. They then held their study group in the old log cabin school house on the corner of what is now Main Street and Water Street It seems that Ashbel's sister Henrietta was a school teacher around that time also and she taught the students in their home. And then Ashbel's Bible Study classes evolved into little church services and more and more men and women attended them. And from those little church services evolved the Presbyterian Church as it still stands in Youngstown today. Ashbel Hinman left Youngstown before 1840 but not before the church had a real building to worship in. Cora said that the first minister who lived in the Presbyterian manse across the street from the church was by the name of Elliott. And Danny commented that we now have Elliott Street in Youngstown. And then they both realized that we have two streets named after the early church-Elliott Street and Church Street. Now I bet you didn't know that, did you? :-) vee from youngstown