The Bulletin says: On Tuesday last the Supreme Court of Ohio decided the long-pending suit of the The First Presbyterian Society of Gallipolis, in connection with the Hocking Presbytery, plaintiff, vs The First Presbyterian Society of Gallipolis, in connection with the Athens Presbytery. The case has long been on the docket -- about twenty years --- in one form or another. Years ago there was much bitterness in our midst about the struggle, and there was scarcely an individual in the community who did not "take sides." It will be noted that after the long and vexatious litigation, the "Old School" has triumphed. Sharon Lee Gates

Ohio University, whlle a public university, was headed for many years by Presbyterian ministers. Rev Jacob Lindley (born in PA) was the first president of Ohio University, and organized the first Presbyterian Society in Athens about 1809. After his retirement from his position of President of Ohio University, he eventually returned to the area of PA where he was born. During this time he began corresponding with a Dr Cossitt, who was influential in the Cumberland Presbyterian sending missionaries to western PA.... after meeting with them, Rev Lindley found beliefs that were close to his heart. This lead to him breaking with the Presbyterian Church and takng up with the Cumberland Presbyterians. (The relationship between these two threads of Presbyterianism was not cordial.) In 1832, the first Cumberland Revival was held in Alexander, OH - the church that was formed here became the Alexander Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the cemetery behind it is known as the Cumberland Cemetery. Many congregants of the local Presbyterian churches broke away and joined the new congregations. The rift between the churches was wide and angry. In the early 1840, Rev Thomas A Welsh (my g-grandfather) was called from Belmont County, Ohio to serve as minister of the Alexander Church, which he did until his death in 1893. While serving the Alexander Church, Rev TA Welsh also established the Harrisonvile Cumberland Presbyterain Church, and the Presbyterain Church in Wilkesville. While the Cumberland Presbyterian Church today has it's strong hold in the south, it was established in the early 1800's in PA, and, as a whole, was NOT sympathetic to the south. Rev TA Welsh was ANTI-slavery and anti-south. The disagreements between the Cumberland Presbyterians and the "Old-School" was not an issue of North/South, but of theology. SueEd NY --- SGates1949@aol.com wrote: > The Bulletin says: On Tuesday last the Supreme Court of Ohio decided > the long-pending suit of the The First Presbyterian Society of > Gallipolis, > in connection with the Hocking Presbytery, plaintiff, vs The First > Presbyterian > Society of Gallipolis, in connection with the Athens Presbytery. The > case > has long been on the docket -- about twenty years --- in one form or > another. Years ago there was much bitterness in our midst about the > struggle, and there was scarcely an individual in the community who > did > not "take sides." It will be noted that after the long and vexatious > litigation, > the "Old School" has triumphed. > > > > > Sharon Lee Gates > > > > ==== OHGALLIA Mailing List ==== > Please keep your topic related to genealogical research > in Gallia County, Ohio. > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - Sign up for Fantasy Baseball. http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/