The Presbyterian Church of Fremont, Ohio was founded in 1833 by twenty-two residents, of which all but two had been members of churches elsewhere.
According to Homer Everett's History of Sandusky County, they originally gathered in a log schoolhouse and then met regularly in the Lower Sandusky (Fremont, Ohio) courthouse. Prayer meetings were held at the minister's home on Justice Street.
Fremont, Ohio
Courtesy of Rutherford B, Hayes Presidential Library and Museums
Members met in various locations until they decided to build a church. The trustees purchased a lot on the northwest corner of Main (now Park Avenue) and Garrison. A building committee was appointed in 1844 and the above structure was dedicated January 10, 1847. Built of brick in the classical style, the church measured 45 by 60 feet and featured a bell tower. In 1852, the congregation added a lecture room at the rear of the church.
In 1869, the Presbyterians subscribed $25,000 for a new building to be constructed on the same location. During its construction, members met at what was then known as Birchard Hall. On the 28th of April, 1870, the new church was dedicated. The total cost, which was completely paid for at its dedication, was $40,000
Some records can be found at the Rutherford Hayes Library and Museums. A photocopy of the church's records from 1833 to 1885 appears in the Reading Room of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library under the title Records of the Presbyterian Church in Lower Sandusky, Volume I, 1833 - 1885. The volume includes an index of names of members whose baptisms, dismissals, transfers, and deaths appear in the records. The index has been entered in a genealogy database in the library and also appears online (rbhayes.org/index). The bulk of the church's records are available in the Hayes Presidential Local History Manuscripts Collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment