Life and Letters of Rev. Aratus Kent Introduction

I spent a Sabbath at Byron in exchange with Br. Gemmel who had engaged to explore for me, Como, a village springing up below Dixon on Rock River. The people ar Byron say in exculpation of their continuing to ask aid :they are poor: they have been building a church and they intend to reduce their draft 50 dollars a year.

Being obliged to return by that route to get a lame horse, I made an opportunity to spend a Sabbath at Sycamore 30 miles east where Br. Norton preached. He has left because he could not say Shibboleth to their antislavery creed. A minority are greatly grieved and all are quite discouraged about finishing their church which stands with only a roof to cover the timbers, and yet that is the only church of our denomination in a county (Dekalb) of 6 or 700 inhabitants.

I thought it would be opportune to spend a Sabbath there and attend their church meeting the day before.

I called on Br. Savage and spent a night with Br. Sikes and reached Chicago next day and preached on Home Missions to the 1st and 2nd Churches.^252[252]

I had several interviews with the Brethren Walker, Peterson and Bascom and obtained information. I urged Br. Wilcox to resume his ministerial duties and visited him to return to our part of the state. Br. Walker stated that the application from B?? grove had been rejected. This I regret as the report has reached us that Br. Gilbert is acceptable and useful there and Br. Gillam of the church in Bristol, Kane Co., states that he has labored there 2 years and boarded with him and that he was an acceptable and useful preacher though not energetic. Br. Brown with whom I lodge has not received an answer to his application for aid.

We rode out together to call on Br. Porter of DuPage, but we was out visiting his people. They are agitating the question of building a church.

In distributing your reports I gave one to Br. H. Brown, who expressed surprise that Br. Coleman had reported a revival at Big Woods as he lived within 5 or 6 miles and has heard nothing of it.

I spent a day or two with Br. Bergen at Big Rock and engaged to visit him in October and assist in a protracted meeting if it should be thought best, and I hope at that time to get further north on the canal and below, but in the Providence of God “I have been let hitherto.”

Galena, Sept. 6: I filled my appointments and reached home Sept. 6 in time to attend Presbytery for the installation of Br. Magoun : Br. Geo. Clark was waiting for me. He has visited St. Louis and Rock Island and Shullsburg and inclines to locate at R. Island, to which I have earnestly urged him as things are at a crisis there which makes it exceedingly important that they should be supplied instantly. In my judgement (and I have spent a Sabbath there) there is a great door of usefulness opened and Br. Osborne (backed by Bro. Purventon, firm of Purventon & King, formerly of Warren, O.) writes that he is the very man for them and he thinks they can raise 500 or more for him. But I think he should be commissioned and helped by your society because they may be obliged to make an immediate and very great effort to build a meeting house.

Sept. 14: Br. Clark leaves tomorrow for Boston to bring out a help-mate.

Sept. 10: Spent Sabbath with the little Church on Apple River where I have engaged to administer the Communion of the 24th. The next Sabbath I am to preach at Waddam’s Grove of which I wrote to you recently, We want men adapted to go into new fields and willing to labour in such fields.

I have engaged to visit the Pinery on the St. Croix and assist Br. Boutwell^253[253] the first of October. Perhaps a church may be organized.

Yours affectionately,

A. Kent

Galena, Sept. 7, 1848

Rev. Chas. Hall, D.D.,

Dear Sir,

Brother Jessup is embarrassed with the conditions of his last commission, and he has applied to us for advice in the case.

We do not consider the church at Elk Horn Grove blamable for the delay of the application. One was forwarded to one of us in due season, but it could not be acted on properly till our meeting of presbytery at the last of April. It was then found defective and another was presented with suitable promptness.

We have considered the circumstances of this case and do advise that the appropriation amounting to seventy five dollars for the first six months of the year be paid Br. Jessup without regard to the action of the church with respect to the salary, but that the condition of the commission shall hold good for the last six months; viz that he receive $75 for that term on the condition that the church pay him Fifty Dollars for that period.

Yours truly,

A.J. Downes

A. Kent

Upper Mississippi, Oct. 1848

“Men of Israel help.” Send us a pioneer missionary for “there remaineth very much land to be possessed.”

After repeated solicitations, I have made an exploring tour into the borders of the new territory of Minnesota. It is pronounced Mena-sota and its meaning is given me by an intelligent traveller is “water slightly turbid”. It is a name which the Indians have given to the stream canonized by the Romanists as a Saint (St. Peters River). I question if St. Peter or St. Paul or St. Anthony feel themselves complemented by such associations with the vices of the Indians and frontier whites and more than Washington does by having his name painted over a grog-shop.

This territory is beginning to attract attention and affords inducements which will ensure the rush of adventurers in that direction for years or until the railway continues from Galena on and on towards the Pacific shall invite immigrants again in the accustomed western course . Since the land was opened in July $9000 has been paid in.

It is eminently a healthy region, the southern border being in latitude 43 30'. The winters are severe but the air is dry and bracing and a residence there is on the whole as comfortable and pleasant as at the South where the humidity of the atmosphere and the frequent alterations of weather render exposure more dangerous. The summers are short but vegetation comes on with great rapidity, and the productions of the earth arrive sooner at maturity. The extensive lumber business offers great inducements to farmers who in supplying so many consumers will find an excellent market for many years.

In going up, our boat, 175 feet long, discharged its emigrant passengers at every important point together with their “plunder”, provisions & implements of husbandry “according as every man had need.” At one place mill irons, at another flour and materials for a house, and at several places oxen for the Pineries. In one instance their was just equal to those driven by Elisha, when elisha cast his mantle upon him, and when I think how difficult it is to secure a minister adapted to these distant out posts, I am ready to cry out, Would God that some of those teamsters might become prophets, that would as rapidly leave their occupation and go forth to reach the Gospel, and mould the character of these infant communities. And, methinks, the change in some of them would be as surprising as in that notable instance when it became a Proverb.

On the St. Croix River there are 4 settlements, one of which Stillwater at the head of the lake (or expansion in the River) 25 miles long contains some 200 inhabitants and promises soon to be a considerable village where a church of 15 members may be gathered and where a ministry permanent residence is greatly desired. On the Mississippi 18 miles west of Stillwater is St. Paul, a french village which is beginning to excite notice. From its relative position being equi-distant from Fort Snelling and St. Anthony Falls, it promises to be an Albany when St. Anthony becomes a Lowell. It is the landing place for the government stores that go up to the new fort which is being built at the mouth of Crow Wing River 120 miles above Fort Snelling on the Mississippi to convey which 60 wagons are now employed.

It is expected also that St. Paul will be made the seat of territorial government and already within a year the American families here increased from 3 to 20.

It seems desirable that a missionary should be sent speedily and there are some 8 or 10 little settlements which he might visit occasionally until others could be sent to his aid. The great water power at the falls of St. Anthony is already used for making lumber. I should have mentioned that a Methodist minister has established a circuit and Red Rock some miles below St. Paul is the place of his mission.

My trip up this river has been delightful. The scenery is grand and beautiful i the summer season, But there is a finish of autumnal beauty at this moment that no description can equal. I have tried to describe it to my friends but will not occupy you with my fancies, Do but send us the missionary and I will leave it to others to paint the landscape.

__________________

Galena Oct 11, 1848

Dear Brethren:

I have just had a long conversation with Mr. Behrends and the German colporteurs and they state that a minister is greatly needed at Davenport as Br. Adams has written in the Aug. No. The Col. refers you to his letter. He says there are 50 protestant German families in Davenport and 50 or more in the vicinity and 12 at Rock Island and about as many at Moline and 20 families up Rock River 20 miles. He says that the Methodists and Allbright preachers have been there repeatedly but they will not hear them. Rev. Mr. Behrends says there is a minister by the name of Madoulet at Lawrenceburg Indiana who is an Evangelical man and who would come west. And that a German Minister at Cincinnati by the name of Kroh who said he would supply his lack of service at Lawrenceburgh. You have the facts and can judge. I should think that it was an important opening for a minister.

Yours & etc.,

A. Kent

______________

Dear Br.

I obtained such information about Mercer County that I saw no occasion to visit that county, and in passing over to the east I took Galesburg, Knoxville, Toulon and Henry in my way. Br. L.K. Hawley has been invited to the Church at Knoxville. Br. J.G. Wright is apparently doing good work (he preaches at 4 points) in Stark Co.

Br. Fowler gave me information that Br. Perry of Bloomington was dissatisfied and I thought he has some reason to be. He complained to his Presbytery last June and they appointed a Committee of 2 Presb. & 2 Cong. ministers to go out to the ground and investigate the case. Br. Wright refused to act and the matter has slept until now. It is likely that he and his church will go over to the Old School Church but still he ought to have a hearing and I urged the Committee to move, for I thought he has been injured 1st because I was told Mr. Spencer stepped in and made a division of the church after he had been invited there as a stated supply; 2nd and I saw letters from Mr. Perry an Mr. Spencer on the subject in answer to Mr. Fowlers inquiries. It is out of my district and I intend not to interfere except to urge his own Presbytery to do their duty and I thought it quite probable that the Ex. Com. and the agent might both have been misled by not having access to all the sources of information. It may be too late to unite the two churches and it may not be best to grant aid to that Presb. residuum but I am satisfied that misrepresentations have been made.

I visited Br. Pendleton at the flourishing little village of Henry and failed in my attempt to arrange for him to preach half the time at Henry. I spent the Sabbath at Providence that Br.. Pendleton might supply the vacant church at Hennepin and in passing through Hennipin I called on a German member of the church who assured me that there were 20 families of Germans about H. and 40 families 12 miles west, and if they had a good Presbyterian minister who could preach both in Eng. & German they could raise 200 dollars for him and if a single man he would board him gratuitously. Some one had suggested that Rev. Roland Galloway of Springfield Clark Co., could inform whether such a man could be obtained from a seminary in the vicinity, of which you probably have knowledge. I spent 2 hours at Greenville with Br. Clark and spent the night with Br. Classon at Lowell. Visited Ottowa and heard what is the position that Br. Basset and his Presbyterian secession occupy. I think Br. Whittling is labouring faithfully. I attended an interesting prayer meeting there.

And while here winter came on with such a frown that I reluctantly gave up my intended expedition up the River and into Will Co., and set my path homeward. I passed by Peru and saw Br. Dubinson. He is somewhat discouraged with his hard field. He represented the district about Troy Grove as affording an important opening for a missionary. And gave me a little history of the movements; Mr. Cady during the last year who is now preaching at Geneseo, which led me to think that he was unstable as water and would not prevail. I visited the Church at Palestine Grove or Lee Center intending to spend the Sabbath there but learned that Br. Pearson had yielded to their solicitations to still give them half his time and I passed on to Elk Horn.

They are greatly afflicted in the recent death of one of their best members, Elder Woodruff and they think it impossible to raise the 100 required by your comm. I encouraged them to make the effort and promised if they sent for me to spend some time with them about New Years. I suppose that assisting my Brethren at Communion seasons may be quite in the line of my duty this winter. Called on Br. Gray at Mt. Carrol and Br. Neill both of whom and especially the latter seem quite encouraged.

I do not attach much importance to the report to you of the details yet I thought they might not be devoid of interest.

Yours affectionately, A. Kent

P.S.: A Mr. Loso has engaged to preach at Sharon, Henry Co.

Success in missionary efforts depends very much on little things.

I rode 16 miles against a severe prairie wind from the N.W. to preach to a little church aided by your society (Providence). In the morning I urged upon 2 male members of the church the importance of having the house warmed in good season. At an hour after the appointed time some little boys came and after shivering a while they made a fire and when service began which was not until 12 the room was so heated that the stove pipe which was within 2 feet of my head was well nigh red hot. And they were still crowding in wood until I begged them to desist. Such a course is admirably calculated to ensure dull preaching and small assemblies. Editorial comments upon such little things as fire & notices : punctuality : and if one quarter part of the time spent by the missionary in reaching the place of meeting had been spent by the people in circulating the notice we might have had 4 times as many hearers.

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Galena, Ill., Dec. 12, 1848

Dear Br.,

I perceive by the last Home Miss. that I have trespassed upon your rules by giving draft in favor Br. Dwinell and Br. Atherton. I now wish to pay to Charles Gould of Hanover twenty two dollars, and to the Tract Society (W.A. Halleck) twenty five 75/100 dollars and it is not convenient to get drafts here now without loss. If it suits your views please pay these bills and charge me, if not, send me word and I will arrange it. I have not made out any regular reports and supposed it would not be expected of me except as you would expect to hear from me before the annual meeting. If you prefer to have a quarterly report I shall cheerfully comply with your wishes.

Please to hand over the enclosed to the Editor and pay the additional

1.50

25.75

in all 47.25 and Oblige yours affectionately,

A. Kent

__________

Dear Br.,

Reporting missionary service of 9 months I propose hereafter to begin my year with March.

I have received Home Missionary Money equal to $312.35 and my expenses, not before settled up, amount to

17.25

deduct 295.00

155.00

55.00

As to expenses I mean always to pay my bill whenever there is a disposition to receive it. And besides that, I generally have publications of the A. T. So.: so I have in this way scattered to the amount of 30 or 40 dollars and there no part of my agency from which I anticipate better results. Certainly none afforded me more pleasure. I have assisted my brethren in healing dissensions in visiting from house to house and at Sacramental occasions. I have assisted in 4 instances this winter at continuous meetings where the spirit of the lord was to work.

I intend to come more in contact with Home Missionaries in future at Ecclesiastical meetings.

According to my diary I have travelled 3145 miles since last may and of this I have rode in a sleigh 1259 miles within 3 months.

The Home Miss. field committed to my supervision is limited to the 23 northern counties of Ill. The population of which approximates to 300,000. Facts are sometimes stranger than fiction.

Sixteen years ago this field was a desolate wilderness. Now it is a Garden of Eden. Sixteen years ago our friends were 3 weeks in transition from the Atlantic to the Mississippi. Soon we shall make the journey in 3 days. The, our thoughts were 20 days in passing by letter with manifold perils of bad roads and swollen creeks, Now a thought may outstrip the sun and stretch across the continent. When, in 1833, I first travelled on an exploring tour from Galena going Eastward, there was no settlement after leaving the mining district until I reached DuPage 20 miles from Chicago. There was no road but an Indian trail, no lodging place but such as California affords to the rush of adventurers there. There was no food for my horse but the wild grass and none for myself but the delicious strawberry in June.

Now the surplus of provisions is oppressive. It is estimated that 100,00 bushels of wheat was furnished for market last season from one small area, whose radius us not but 5 miles long. So abundant indeed is the produce of this Prairie State, that it is impossible to carry off the annual crop before it is overtaken by the growth of another year. To describe the laborious process we may accommodate the language of Isaiah in reference to the idols of Babylon: “Their carriages are heavy laden, they are a burden to the weary beast. They stoop down, they bow down together (in the mud). They cannot deliver their burden” : at Chicago. But a rail-way will soon remove their difficulties and then this prairie 160 miles across, once regarded as forever unhabitable, will show a succession of thriving villages within cannon shot of each other, How important then is that agency which shall seize the opportunity to plant churches and introduce an evangelical ministry along that line or light and influence.

In describing the attractions of this district, therefore I do not magnify my office and yet I can barely glance at the progress of improvement. Farms are multiplying every year and the people are wearing more comfortable garments. The school-house is everywhere making its appearance and every year an improved appearance. Many of them are now being made large and convenient for public worship. There are already some 40 or 50 churches either finished or in progress and there are in this field 30 or 40 villages whose population ranges from 300 to as many thousand. A commendable zeal for the higher branches of learning begins to develop itself in the founding of 10 or 15 Academies. The missionaries are about 46 or 2 to a county. Some of whom I have never seen and some of the counties I have not yet visited.

A few of the churches have enjoyed seasons of special refreshing during the year and some of our Brethren who report no revivals are yet striving manfully to maintain their found in spite of that confederation of hostile influences which are sure to cluster around our new villages. These villages have more than their share of that class of persons who flee from restraints of Christian society. It ought to be known by our patrons at the East that there are periods in the history of our feeble churches when utmost that can be achieved is to sustain life amidst the fluctuations of western society and the powerful opposition they are obliged to encounter - periods when to maintain existence demands more faith, costs more labour and puts in requisition more true moral heroism than is needed to urge forward the case of salvation with great celerity when public sentiment and every collateral influence are combined to multiply the triumphs of the Immoral. Several of your missionaries in the midst of discouragements enough to beat back a tired spirit are urging their way onward with undauntable energy. Others are not equally zealous and self denying and it is comparatively easy for them to find an excuse for some apparent delinquencies in missionary service. They are not so ready to rebuke sin, to explore and cultivate their own appropriate field by family visitations nor to decry a new opening for preaching and to rush into it before the ground is occupied by errorists.

There are some whose usefulness is abridged by the presence of worldly cares. In would seem that pensioners upon the charity of the Church should be wholly ingrained with the duties of their sacred calling and yet when we sit down and listen to the tale of their trials, they are poor or sick or in debt or their families are inefficient and expensive and their people wanting in attention to them. It is not easy to say, you must withdraw your mind from every secular care.

Aside from our prospective want along the lines of the canal and railroad, we are in immediate want of 10 efficient men of self sacrificing spirit to enter into the field already ripe with the harvest: men that work up the raw material and gather a congregation. Men who like Paul are ambitious to build on a new foundation, I pray god that Christian Parents and Churches may consecrate their young men to the ministry and send them out into the harvest fields.

Yours in the bonds of the Gospel,

A. Kent

 

The Items of Receipt & Expenses

forage 1.20

Mrs. Keeler 5.00

lodging at Chicago 3.25

Rent of Mission