REV.
DR. GILES HOOKER COWLES*, the first settled minister of
Austinburg and Morgan, and in fact of Ashtabula County, emigrated to
the former town from Bristol, Connecticut, with his family,
consisting of a wife, eight children, and a hired man, in the year
of 1811. He was a son of Ezekiel and Martha Hooker Cowles,
of Farmington, Connecticut, and was born in that place, August 26,
1766. He was descended from John Cowles, who settled in
Farmington in the year of 1652, and who was one of three brothers
who emigrated from England in 1635. His mother was a daughter
of Major Giles Hooker, of Farmington, and a lineal descendant
of the Rev. Thomas Hooker, the first clergyman who settled in
Connecticut. After having prepared himself for college under
the tuition of Rev. William Robinson, of Southington, Dr.
Cowles entered Yale college, and graduated there with honor in
the year 1789. During his studies he became hopefully pious.
He pursued his theological studies with Dr. Jonathan Edwards,
the younger, then of New Haven. In 1791 he was licensed to
preach, and in 1792 he received a call from the Congregational
church of Bristol, and was ordained an installed over that church
the 17th of October of that year, Rev. Dr. Edwards preaching
the ordination sermon, and the Rev. Timothy Pitkins, of
Farmington, Rev. John Smalley of New Britain, Rev. Rufus
Hawley, of Avon, Rev. William Robinson, of Southington,
Rev. Simon Waterman of Plymouth, Rev. Benoni Woodward,
of Wolcott, with their delegates, constituting the ordaining
council. In February, 1793, he was married to Miss Sallie,
daughter of Lebbeus White, of Stamford, Connecticut, a direct
descendant of Peregrine White the first white child born in
New England, and also a descendant, on his mother's side, from a
Huguenot family by the name of De Grasse, which name was
subsequently changed to Weed. Mrs. Cowles was a woman
of extraordinary beauty and great culture for the time she lived, of
remarkable force of character, of intellectual power, and a model
Christian minister's wife and mother. Although at the time of
her marriage she was not a member of the church, she became one in
1795.
Dr. Cowles preached in Bristol for nearly
eighteen years, when he was dismissed by mutual consent, May 10,
1810. The record of the church contained this entry:
"Mr. Cowles, at the close of seventeen years'
and seven months' ministry in this place, on the 27th of May, 1810,
preached his farewell sermon, from Hebrews xiii. 17: 'For they watch
for your souls as they that must give an account, that they may do
it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you,'
to a crowded assembly, who were very much affected, and appeared to
regret the unhappy circumstances which rendered the trying parting
scene necessary. 'Perhaps the instance was never known that a
minister and people ever parted with so much harmony, but for wise
purposes Providence has ordered it so."
"There were four seasons of awakening during Mr.
Cowles' ministry. Two hundred and eighteen members were
added to the church, - one hundred and eighty-one from the world
entered upon their profession, and thirty-seven by letters from
other churches. Sixty-seven, received in 1799, marked 'a year
never to be forgotten.' Of the two hundred and eighteen,
seventy-four were gone by deaths removals, and excommunications.
The number remaining at his dismission, one hundred and sixty-two;
of these, but seventeen were members when he settled with them.
The church parted with with a truly faithful minister, whose choice
was to live and die with them; but he has gone, and the church and
society's duty is plain, - to endeavor to choose another who will be
as faithful to the souls committed to his charge, to support him and
assist him to fulfill the arduous task imposed on him."
Hon. Tracy Peck, in a historical address he
delivered on the occasion of the celebration, in the year 1859, of
the fiftieth anniversary of the appointment of Charles G. Ives
as deacon of the church of Bristol, made the following reference to
Dr. Cowles:
"Mr. Cowles entered upon and pursued his work
here as a learned, pious, and faithful minister of the gospel.
He was never a healthy, robust man, being always afflicted with an
infirmity in one leg, which caused him to halt in his walk, and
frequently suffered much from salt-rheum. He was agreeable and
exceedingly interesting in all his intercourse with the people, and
was accustomed to visit often in the families and the schools.
He often examined the children and scholars in the shorter
catechism, he talked and prayed with them, regarding all this as a
part of his pastoral duties, a duty which he much loved, and his
love was fully reciprocated, and was one of the links which bound
him to this people, to those children and pupils, in so strong,
endearing, and lasting bonds of love and affection.
"Those of us here who were then children in those
families or in those schools, cannot well forget those days and
scenes, the remembrance of which is so sweet, so refining and
elevating, nor forget the name of the Rev. Giles Hooker Cowles,
so interestingly connected with them. And I have yet to learn
that there has been improvement in these particulars.
"Dr. Cowles was a sound and successful minister,
and during the seventeen years and eight months of his stay here
there were additions to this church each year, save 1804 and 1808.
The whole number was two hundred and eighteen, leaving in membership
at his dismission one hundred and sixty-two. At the head of
the admissions I see the name of my venerated and beloved mother, to
whom, for a long while, I have felt myself indebted for several of
the leading features in my life and character. Yet the great
and never-to-be-forgotten year in the ministry of Mr. Cowles
is that of 1799, when there was a general outpouring of the Holy
Spirit upon this church, a large proportion of the community, and
the hearts of the people in many places of our State and county.
"How appropriate the entry made by Dr. Cowles
upon the records, where he says, 'A YEAR NEVER TO BE
FORGOTTEN!
"Then it was that the Bible was so generally read by
the old and the young. Then it was that so many humble and
penitent prayers were offered upon the bended knees, from hearts
having great and alarming views of their sin and guilt, and pleading
for mercy in and through a Redeemer's blood. Oh, how few are
here today who were here in 1799, and experienced for the first time
the sweets of redeeming grace! The refreshing influences of
the Holy Spirit were so pure, and the scenes so awful, yet so rich,
that I cannot, in this review, pass over them in silence.
Dr. Cowles has placed upon the records, 'That the year of 1798
was one of the great opposition to divine truth, and a neglect of
religious and public worship seemed to increase, and but one made a
public profession of religion.' Much trouble and altercation
about school districts, etc. But God was pleased, in 1799, to
pour out his Spirit upon the people in a remarkable manner, and
produced a revival of religion which ought to be recorded for the
information of posterity and to the glory of his glorious grace.
The first appearance of this work was at lecture about the middle of
February. The Rev. Messrs. Joshua Williams of
Harwinton, and Joseph Washburn, of Farmington, were present,
and gave some account of the revivals in some neighboring towns.
Two sermons were delivered in the afternoon, and divine truth
appeared to be attended with divine power. An unusual
attention and seriousness were apparent in the congregation, and
numbers seemed greatly affected and in tears. In the evening a
meeting was held at a large school-house, which was thronged, and
divine influence seemed more powerful than in the afternoon.
Within a week nearly fifty were under conviction, and ten or twelve
entertained a hope; and from the 31st of March, 1799, to May 1,
1800, one hundred were added to the church, sixty-one females and
thirty-nine males.
"I suppose that there are two or three persons now here
who were present at these two meetings mentioned by Dr. Cowles.
"The years 1798, 1799, and 1800 were years of
excitement in this church and in the political movements of this
State and nation.
"In December, 1798, and Baptist society was organized.
Early in 1799, Elder Daniel Wildman, of the Baptist church,
moved into town and commenced to have favorable effect upon his
hearers, and during that year several were baptized by immersion and
added to his church, two of whom were members of this church.
"The question of baptism was discussed with interest
and produced great excitement. Mr. Cowles delivered two
sermons in proof of the duty of infant baptism, which were enlarged
and published in three sermons, together with an appendix, by
Rev. Jonathan Miller then pastor of the church in Burlington,
which were circulated and read and had a soothing and quieting
influence over one of the existing elements of that day.
"The council met here May 24, 1810, and agreeably to
mutual consent, dismissed Mr. Cowles and in their result they
say that they find that this church style him their beloved pastor
and to whom the church return their thanks for the faithfulness,
ability, prudence, and and seal with which he served them in the
duties of the Christian ministry for seventeen years and eight
months.
"I was present on that occasion, and a society meeting
was holden, of which that worthy and much-respected man, Deacon
Bryan Hooker, was moderator, and, while standing in the old
deacon's seat, and stating to the meeting the important transactions
of the day, he became so much affected and overcome that he seemed
to lose the power of speech. He stood silent for a while.
The tears then flowed from and abundant.
"I was then at the age of twenty-five
years, and I have often thought that I never attended a meeting so
deep, so solemn, and so impressive as was that. I do believe
that during the remaining sixteen years of the life of Deacon
Bryan Hooker, I looked upon his person and upon his private and
public character and acts with more respect than I could otherwise
have done; and that his whole life and character, while he lived and
since his death, have appeared to me more grand and more lovely, and
have had a greater effect on me, than has almost any other
transaction of his life.
"Mr. Cowles and his family left this place for
Austinburg, Ohio, May 21, 1811, where he was settled in the
ministry, and remained until his death. His daughter, Miss
Martha Hooker Cowles, of Austinburg, having heard of this
movement by this church, wrote to me, and says, 'We, the younger
members of the family, cannot from recollection give much
information. We, of course, were always interested in Bristol
as the place of our birth and associations of childhood, and the
names of Lewis and Ives were household words to us.'
She gives the names and ages of the children of her parents when
they left Bristol. She also says 'that her parents and two of
her brothers have passed away.'
"She sent me the following, being copies of the
inscriptions on the tombstones of her parents and brother Edward,
viz.:
" 'Edward died in 1823, aged twenty-one years.
A very dutiful, affectionate son to his parents. Thou
destroyest the hope of man.
" 'This was engraven on his tombstone, as expressive of
my father's feelings at the time.'
"In Memory of
MRS. SALLY COWLES
wife of
Rev. Giles H. Cowles, D. D.,
Died July 23d, 1830.
Aged 56 years.
'Yea, saith the Spirit, for
they rest from their labor, and their works do follow them.'
"I remember the wife of Dr. Cowles. She
was a woman of beauty, of superior education, and all her
intercourse with others was of a high, interesting, and finished
character. For a number of years I have seldom opened the
present first volume of our church records but I have seen and
readily recognized her handwriting, as she recorded and wrote much
for her husband."
The foregoing extracts show the estimation in which
Dr. Cowles stood with his people in Bristol. He was indeed
a most pious and devoted minister of religion, whose sole ambition
was to serve only Him who suffered to save sinners. His piety,
his conscientiousness in the performance of his duty as a minister
of Christ, and amiability of character were household words among
members of the church in Bristol, which has been handed down
traditionally in that place. When a son of Dr.
Cowles, Mr. William E. Cowles, visited Bristol, in1875, for the
first time since he left there a boy, he found not one living who
remembered hearing or seeing his father but he found many who knew
of his father by reputation, and for the sake of the memory of that
good pastor they, the descendants of those who sat under his
preaching, tendered him a most hearty welcome.
It will be seen by the records we have quoted from that
Dr. Cowles preached in Bristol for nearly eighteen years,
ending in 1810, when he dissolved his connection with the church.
At this time Ashtabula County had been settled ten years.
Owing to the scantiness of the population*, no minister had yet
settled in that county. What little there was of the gospel
that had been expounded during that time was done by that good old
pioneer-missionary, Father Badger, who was wont to make his
semi-occasional visit in the various parts of the county, preaching
in the log meeting-houses, barns, cabins, and frequently in God's
temple, under His mighty blue dome, amidst the primeval forest
grove. The good accomplished by this faithful servant of
Christ can only be known by searching the records on high, but a
truer, more self-denying, more earnest, more conscientious, and more
effective worker in the cause of religion than was Father Joseph
Badger never lived. He has gone to that blessed land where
lives the just and the righteous, to meet those whom he has brought
unto the Lord, and there he will reside forever. As the sequel
will prove, Dr. Cowles became a most worthy on-laborer in the
vineyard of the Lord with this estimable pioneer missionary.
During the spring of this year (1810), Mrs. Austin, the wife
of Judge Eliphalet Austin of Austinburg, was woman of great
piety, innate strength of mind, and energy, came to the conclusion
that they ought to have a settled minister; that the field was ripe
for the bountiful spiritual harvest, and she notified her husband
that she would go back to old Connecticut on horseback and hunt up a
minister! And sure enough that brave woman, with all her
change of clothing in a traveling portmanteau, started alone on
horseback on that long journey to Connecticut, six hundred miles
away, through an unsettled country, and almost unbroken forests most
of the way. She arrived safely at her destination after a ride
of over thirty days. We have in our mind's eye some of her
great-granddaughters who, when they made a journey taking about
one-half of that time, were constrained to take along several
enormous Saratoga trunks. What would they have thought of
traveling on a thirty days' journey with their wardrobes
concentrated into a portmanteau? We cannot help drawing a
contrast. In spite of their thorough modern education, their
culture and accomplishments, and the advantages they had of living
in the midst of a higher grade of civilization, they can never excel
their good old grandmother in her piety, in all that made the true
woman, in the amount of the sound sense she possessed, of the
strength of character she had, the remarkable energy she showed, and
the heart she had overflowing with kindness.
Mrs. Austin went to Bristol, and was closeted
with Mrs. Cowles, and there she brought up the subject of the
need of a minister to preach the gospel in New Connecticut.
Mrs. Cowles fell in with the idea of having her husband accept
the call thus tendered by the intrepid woman who had come so far for
that purpose. She saw in the then far distant Western Reserve
rich and cheap land, and a chance for her boys to fight successfully
their way through life. The matter was broached to her
husband, and he was easily persuaded to take a trip to New
Connecticut, and make a prospective examination of the field which
he had been invited to cultivate. Accordingly he started on
horseback, and reached Austinburg, and the result of his examination
was that he concluded to move his family there. He returned to
Bristol, and in the following year, 1811, he took and affectionate
leave of his old parishioners, with whom he had been associated so
long. We of this fast age are in the habit of accomplishing
that same journey, with the comfort and adjunct of the sleeping-car,
in from twenty-four to twenty-eight hours, and can communicate with
the absent friends (literally in no time at all) by telegraph.
The leave-taking of the pastor and his family from those whom they
loved so well - the numerous and affectionate relatives, the loving
parishioners, the pious and warm-hearted deacons, and the playmates
of the children - was unusually sad and solemn. This can be
appreciated when it is considered that the country they were
emigrating to at that time was thirty to forty days' journey off,
over horrible mud and corduroy roads, up and down steep ungraded
hills, with scarcely any hotels on the wayside, with the
consciousness that the probability was very remote indeed of any
ever returning again to the scenes of their childhood, and this too
at the time when it took over two months for a letter to be sent and
delivered and an answer received, at an expense of fifty
cents' postage both ways.
The farewell sermon preached by Mr. Cowles on
the Sunday previous to his departure was very impressive, and the
congregation presented a mournful appearance; but the doctor showed
a spirit of cheerful resignation to the force of circumstances.
For days previous to the departure the old parsonage was thronged
with callers from Bristol, Farmington, and the surrounding towns, to
bid the pastor and his family tearful farewells.
Dr. Cowles' family at that time consisted of
himself, wife, eight children, and a hired man. His furniture
was loaded on to two wagons, and he himself, wife, and a smaller
children rode in a carriage. His children were Edwin,
aged seventeen years; Sally, fifteen years; William Elbert,
thirteen years; Edward, ten years; Martha, seven
years; Cornelia and Lysander (twins), four years;
Betsey, then an infant, aged one year. It was in this
manner that the caravan of the pastor traveled on its long journey
through forest and unsettled region, for the far-distant Western
Reserve.
After passing through the ordeals incident to such a
journey, Dr. Cowles reached Austinburg in the summer of 1811.
There being no "hotels' in that newly-settled region, and the houses
of the settlers small, and mostly of logs, four the first few days
he and his family took possession of the log church or
"meeting-house," as the New Englanders called their places of
worship, which was then located at the Centre, about in front of the
present town-house. Soon the neighbors gathered from all
around, and, wielding the axes only as pioneer axemen can, in an
incredible short period of time they erected a commodious log
dwelling, near the site of the present homestead, for the pastor and
his family to occupy. He was installed pastor over the united
church of Austinburg and Morgan in the following September, and the
entire ministry of the Western Reserve assisted on that occasion.
They were Rev. Joseph Badger, of Ashtabula; Rev. J. Leslie,
of Harpersfield; Rev. Thomas Barr, of Euclid; Rev. J.
Beers, of Springfield; Rev. N. B. Darrow, of Vienna; and
Rev. Mr. Spencer, of Fredonia, New York.
The members of the Austinburg church at that time, as
furnished from memory by Mr. William Elbert Cowles, were as
follows: Captain Stephen Brown and wife, Joab Austin
and wife, Deacon Moses Wilcox and wife, Benjamin Sweet
and wife, Mrs. Joseph B. Cowles, Samuel Ryder and
wife, Colonel Roswell Austin and wife, Deacon Joseph M.
Case and wife, Mrs. Lydia Case, Deacon Sterling Mills and
wife, Moses Wright and wife, Judge Eliphalet Austin
and wife, John Cowles, Calvin Stone, and Abigail Case.
As a missionary, receiving a portion of his salary form the
Connecticut missionary society, Dr. Cowles visited various
portions of the Western Reserve, preaching the gospel.
In 1812, the year after his arrival in Austinburg,
Dr. Cowles started a movement among his people to build a frame
church edifice in place of their humble log meeting-house.
Judge Austin, Joab Austin, Dr. O. K. Hawley, and
Doctor Cowles led with liberal subscriptions, and the means were
raised sufficient to erect and inclose the first church ornamented
with a steeple on the Western Reserve, if not in Ohio. The new
church was occupied in 1815, when it was in an unfinished condition,
and it was not till 1820 that it was entirely completed. Until
that time it was probably the finest church edifice in Ohio out of
Cincinnati. The writer well remembers, when a child, traveling
with his parents to visit - grandpa and grandma," in 1830, the
impression the appearance of that church made on his childish mind
when he saw it for the first time. He had never before seen a
steeple, and he gazed at the building with a feeling of admiration
akin to awe. Although only four years old, the first
impression on his mind of that to him magnificent church was never
effaced. On the following Sunday, when he heard the
church-bell, - that beautiful-toned bell, the first he had ever
heard, - on that lovely June morning, standing by the side of his
invalid grandmother, a few weeks before she was taken away, his
feeling of astonishment was greater than he can describe, and his
admiration was intense for the church with that wonderful machine
with a revolving wheel in the steeple for producing that marvelous
sound.
When the church building was planned it was decided at
first not to have a steeple on account of the expense. The
women came forward and offered to assume that expense themselves,
and their proposition was accepted.
The late Miss Betsey M. Cowles, in her speech
delivered at the three-quarter centennial celebration of the
settlement of the township of Austinburg, June 5, 1875, gave a vivid
account, in her pathetic style, of how the good and pious pioneer
women of Austinburg went to work to raise the means with which to
pay for that steeple, which we will copy:
"Seventy-five years ago tomorrow night the first woman
who came to this town was the wife of Sterling Mills.
She and her husband and Mr. Joseph Case were making their way
to the "Austin's" camp.' But darkness overtook them amidst a
rain-storm, and compelled them to stop in the wood, and all that
long and gloomy night that brave pioneer woman sat upon her saddle
on the ground, with her infant in her arms. That kind-hearted
and gallant man, Deacon Joseph M. Case, the father of the
orator of the day, stood through all that night by the side of that
helpless mother and held an umbrella to protect her from the rain.
This was but one of the many incidents of the early settlement of
this region that ought to be told. We should remember the
hardships and sufferings endured by the settlers in those early
days, and keep alive in our hearts the memory of those brave pioneer
men and women.
"There was a meeting-house commenced here in 1812 and
finished a few years later, and the old subscription paper is still
in existence. The men had decided to build the church without
a steeple, but the women said no, they would build a steeple
themselves. I will illustrate how our venerated mothers and
grandmothers worked when they undertook anything. One of the,
Mrs. Rebecca Whiting, subscribed ten dollars, and took in
weaving to earn money to pay it. Another, Mrs. Naomi Ryder,
who had a large family of children, whom she took care of well, put
down her name for five dollars, which she paid by taking in sewing,
making pants for about thirty-seven cents a pair, and coats for
about seventy-five cents, and so on. We think her
granddaughter, Mrs. Pierce, who is present, does exceedingly
well for a modern woman, but she is not quite as smart as her good
old grandmother was.
"In former time it was considered impossible to raise a
building without whisky, but the women declared that it was not
necessary to aid the brawny muscles of the men with whisky in order
to raise the frame of the house of God, so they gathered together
and made some home-made beer, flavored with sassafras, spruce, and
other herbs, and gave it to the men in the place of whisky, and the
discovery was made that they got along very well without
intoxicating liquor while raising the frame of that church."
To illustrate the spirit of religion that prevailed
among the early settlers of Austinburg, we will allude to the prayer
that was made by Dr. Cowles at the raising of the frame of
the church. The foundation timber, in a square form, had
already been laid on the brick-work. On this the men all
stood, facing inward, forming a hollow square, and with bowed
uncovered heads listened to the fervent prayer offered by the
pastor, asking the blessing of God on the enterprise, on the
erection and eventual dedication of the house of worship to the
glory of Himself.
The architectural design of this church was copied from
a church in Norwalk, Connecticut. It had a steeple about one
hundred and twenty feet in height. Its spire was surmounted by
a vane in the shape of an arrow with a spear-head. The rear
end of the vane spread out quarter fan-shaped into seven branches.
On the end of each branch was a gilt star, and in the centre of the
branches was a gilt quarter-moon, which, in addition to its
ornamental use, acted as a brace for the branches. This vane
was a most conspicuous object on the steeple, and many of the
readers will recognize it from the description we have given.
The inside of the church presented a considerable amount of
architectural effect. The centre of the ceiling was arched,
the arch being supported by large, finely-turned wooden columns
resting on the gallery, which was on three sides, and directly under
these columns was another set supporting the gallery from the floor.
The pulpit was a high, old-fashioned, unique affair. It was
large enough to seat two beside the speaker. A portion of it
was supported on two very finely finished, fluted wooden columns.
To the right of these columns was a fluted pillar-stand, three and a
half feet in height, on which was placed the baptismal bowl.
In front of the two columns was the communion-table. From this
"tall citadel," was it was sometimes called by the irreverent, many
doctrinal points have been made clear to the average mind by the
great reasoning power of Dr. Cowles. From that old
pulpit the infernal system of slavery has frequently been denounced
in scathing language by some of the early eloquent anti-slavery
orators. Some of the first sermons ever given against
intemperance were preached from that pulpit, and frequently ahs it
been graced with the venerable form of good old Father Badger.
From this crude description some idea may be formed of
the architectural appearance of this pioneer church, - the first
ever erected on the Reserve, if not in Ohio, with a steeple.
The bell was placed in the tower somewhere about 1825. It
weighted about five hundred pounds. It is said that the sound
of this bell drove away the wolves and other wild animals, for none
had ever been seen in the township since the bell commenced ringing
out its calls to attend public worship.
This old church - historic church it may be called -
was ruthlessly torn down about the year 1857, simply because there
was no further use for it, the majority of the congregation
preferring to attend worship, as a matter of convenience, at the
"North End," and nearly all the rest went to the Eagleville church,
for the same reason. The church stood unoccupied and for a
period neglected by the ungrateful community for which it had done
so much towards its moral well-being. From this old church had
evolved directly and indirectly those grand, high moral principles,
which have spread over Ashtabula County and made it what it is.
That landmark, with its spire towering against the sky and its
conspicuous vane, the church his honored grandfather helped to
erect, and in which he officiated so faithfully for nearly twenty
years; the church in which his beloved parents were married, in
which he and his brothers and sister were baptized, and in which the
funeral services were held over the remains of both his
grandparents, has disappeared forever. Nothing remains to show
the former glory of that fine specimen of a pioneer church, unless
it may be the bell, which had been transferred to a cheaply-built
and common-looking unorthodox house of worship at the "North End."
Even the bell, apparently indignant at its being used against the
cause of orthodoxy, and at the treatment the old orthodox church had
received, became cracked, and refused to give out its former sweet
tones. Can it be wondered that the writer should have some
feelings of resentment at the want of appreciation of that old
pioneer church by those for whom it has done so much?
After having accomplished the work of erecting and
inclosing the church expense, a parsonage, - the present homestead
now occupied by his daughter, Miss Martha H. Cowles. As
the first settled minister of the town, he received eighty acres
more given by that company for a parsonage lot. He purchased
in addition one hundred and sixty acres, making his farm, including
the parsonage lot, three hundred and twenty acres. He located
his mansion on his own lot, nearly opposite where the new church
stood. In the winter of 1813-14 his hired man, Mr. Shepard,
whom he brought with him from Connecticut, and his brother-in-law,
Mr. Frederick Weed, got out a quantity of saw-logs, which
were formed into a raft, on Grand river, and floated down to the
"Austin Mills," now known as Mechanicsville, for the purpose of
being sawed into lumber for the contemplated new house. The
river being high and the current above the dam very rapid, the
navigation of the raft got beyond the control of Messrs. Weed
and Shepard, and it went over the dam, and Mr. Shepard
was drowned. Mr. Weed succeeded in camping. this
and accident and the ___ of the logs delayed the building of the
mansion till the following year, 1815, when it was erected.
The plan of that house was drawn in a scientific and architectural
manner by Mrs. Cowles, and the convenience of that plan
excited the admiration of all who saw the inside of the house.
General Simon Perkins, of Warren, copied the plan for his own
house, which he built. It was considered to be a wonderfully
aristocratic dwelling by the younger portion of the community, who
had never been to Connecticut and seen the "big" houses there.
It is still, in this age of houses with "modern improvements," a
most commodious and convenient residence. That old parsonage
has witnessed many cultured gatherings under its roof.
Hundreds of ministers of the gospel, including Bishop Chase
and others of equal prominence, lecturers, anti-slavery speakers,
professors, and students, have enjoyed its hospitalities. Can
it be wondered that the association with the educated and refined
that were wont to assemble there should have had a beneficial effect
in moulding the character of the children of Dr. Cowles?
Dr. Cowles was naturally of a grave temperament
and never was inclined to mirth, but his wife and children would
appreciate the humors of life just as well as the rest of the world,
and the big kitchen of the old homestead has witnessed many scenes
of innocent jollity. As an illustration, we will copy from the
letter written by the late Miss Betsey M. Cowles and
published in the Ashtabula News, describing the "singing
meetings" that were frequently held in Austinburg, and often in the
kitchen of the homestead:
"One amusement was considered safe and legitimate, to
which no barrier was interposed, and that was 'singing meetings.'
These were held first in private houses, - one week at Deacon
Mills', at the South End, next week at Judge Austin's, at
the North End, and the next at the parsonage, at the Centre.
Neither floods nor flames, hail, rain, nor snow, light nor darkness,
could keep the young folks from these meetings. Benches on
which to sit were improvised, huge fires were built on the hearth,
with plenty of tallow-candles to hold in the hand, which constituted
the preparation for these meetings. To these they came
on horseback, on sleds, on foot, a distance of one, two, three, four
and five miles. The hour arrived for the 'opening up,' the
chorister would give the order, 'Take your places. Strike your
lights. Open to Majesty.' A toot from the 'pitch-pipe,'
with the order, 'Strike the pitch,' and off the tune goes, the
leader in the mean time pacing the floor, with violent
gesticulations, swinging both arms at full length, beating time,
singing first one part as it falters and then another, like a
skillful general skirmishing along the lines, strengthening the weak
points. So he runs from one part of the room to another
wherever help is needed, and as a result the music fills the high
domes of the room. On the different parts of the 'fuguing
tunes' was full scope for the exercise of his generalship, as each
part was led off by him, he rapidly swinging himself to each as it
strikes in; in short, bearing the entire burden of carrying the
whole; and when the tune is sung, commends the performance by
saying, 'You have done well; but we'll try it once more, just to let
your voices out a little louder. Each one had exerted his
vocal organs to the utmost, yet cheerfully they try again. An
hour or more thus spent, then comes intermission, or 'visiting
times,' then another hour of singing, mingled with laughs at the
mistakes or witticisms of the leader; after which all arise and sing
'Pilgrim's Farewell,' and then they are dismissed and homeward
bound.
"In the progress of human affairs a 'singing master' is
hired; he boarding around with the people, they stipulating to give
him a certain sum for his services, and then open the school to all.
Among the early masters was, first, Amasa Loomis, a man who
sang loud and long. Following him was Deacon Grey, a
quaint, gray-haired, little old man, with a nice cultivated ear for
music, who greatly improved church music in this and neighboring
towns. He introduced the Handel and Haydn collection of music
in place of 'fuguing tunes,' and round notes in place of 'patent' or
'buckwheat' notes. On each evening he would announce that a
new tune would be 'put out' next week; hence expectations were on
the alert. His schools were closed by a grand 'singing
lecture' in the meeting-house, at which time all the new tunes were
sung to a large and delighted audience, which had assembled at the
usual hour for meeting, or at one o'clock P.M. As time
advanced the name 'singing lecture' was changed to 'concert.'"
The magnificent voices of four of Dr. Cowles'
children must have added greatly to the power of these "singing
lectures." The children, who inherited their musical gift from
their mother, were Cornelia, soprano; Betsey, alto;
Lewis, tenor; and Martha, soprano. Lysander
was a singer, but he did not rank with the sisters and brother I
have named. Martha had a marvelously sweet voice, but
it was never cultivated like her sisters and brother Lewis.
In later years - in 1840 - the choir of the church in Austinburg was
probably equal to any in the State. It was under the
leadership of Squire Lucretius Bissell, a half-brother of
Joab Austin. He was a very capable leader indeed, he
having studied music as a science. The principal singers of
the choir, at the date I have named, were Squire Bissell and
his wife, Misses Cornelia and Betsey Cowles, and
Lewis Cowles. It can be imagined how Dr. Cowles
must have enjoyed listening to the music of his children, especially
so after the death of his wife, when he reflected that they
inherited their voices from their sainted mother.
Dr. Cowles was a most substantial speaker, never
flowery, but solid and reasoning in his efforts. His
theological knowledge was of the highest order, and he was a most
profound student. When he settled in Austinburg he brought
with him from Connecticut his entire library, which at that time,
and for many years afterwards was the largest in the county.
When not engaged with his professional duties he invariably retired
to his study for the purpose of reading or writing, or delving into
theological or religious lore. His three sermons defending
infant baptism, delivered in Bristol in 1802, to which Hon. Tracy
Peck referred in his address, were considered masterly efforts,
and are the best monuments of his talent that remain, and could
never have been produced save by a richly-endowed and disciplined
mind. His power over the minds of his people can best be shown
by the results of the great revivals of religion that occurred at
different periods of his ministry, especially the one in 1799, in
Bristol, when over one hundred joined his church, - "a year," which
he entered on the church records, "never to be forgotten." The
revivals of 1816, in Austinburg, showed the influence of his power
as a preacher. His piety was earnest and very deep, which has
been fully set forth by Mr. Tracy in his remarks. The
Hon. Charles Case, in his oration delivered at the
three-quarter centennial celebration of the settlement of
Austinburg, speaking of Dr. Cowles, said -
"Then again, there was the Rev. Giles H. Cowles.
They used to think I was very bad when I was a boy. I know
what was said then, and I have never forgotten it. But I knew
that venerable man, and knew how consistent and faithful he was in
all the long years when he was the settled pastor of the church in
Austinburg."
Dr. Cowles was a great friend of the
cause of education. Having received a thorough education
himself, he appreciated it. In 1825 he, with others, first
moved in the matter of establishing the Western Reserve college. The
three presbyteries of the Reserve met at Warren to decide upon the
location of the proposed college. The members were as follows:
from Grand River presbytery, Rev. Dr. Giles H. Cowles, Harvey
Coe, A. Griswold, and Rev. Eliphalet Austin; presbytery
of Portage, Rev. Joseph Treat, John Steward, J. H. Whittlesey,
and Lemuel Porter, Huron presbytery, A. H. Betts, L. B.
Sullivan, Hon. Samuel Cowles, and D. Betts. It was
found difficult at an early a period to fix upon the most eligible
spot. At a second meeting of the board, Hudson, Portage (but
now of Summit county) was decided upon as the most favorable
locality. Burton, Euclid, Aurora and Cleveland were among the
most prominent competitors for the location of this college.
The decision being made, the board proceeded to Hudson, selected the
site, and drove a stake on College Hill. The trustees were
chosen by the presbyteries, and a charter was obtained in 1826.
He assisted in the first work of founding Grand River
Institute, and it was at his house where the first meeting of the
projectors of that institution of learning was held, and where it
received its charter from the State of Ohio. His name appeared
as one of the original incorporators.
He was a congenial gentleman with all with whom he came
in contact, although, as we said before, he was a grave man, and
never dealt in trifling remarks. He was charitable to others
in regard to their faults. On one occasion he was about
starting on a journey for the purpose of assisting in the ordination
of a new candidate for the ministry. It happened that this
candidate wore a ruffled shirt bosom, and was otherwise quite vain
and worldly in his ideas, and withal, conceited, so much so, that
the good wife of the pastor was somewhat prejudiced against him, and
she spoke to her husband saying, "Mr. Cowles, you are not
going to ordain that man, are you?" He replied, "My dear, the
man must be pretty far gone if it won't do to pray for him!"
The mission service required men of great hardihood,
firmness of principle, pure love for the cause of their Maker, and
willingness to suffer privations for the sake of Him who suffered
for us sinners. Such a man was Dr. Cowles. What
he did in the cause of religion was not done merely because he
thought it was his duty to do so, but he did it because of his deep
love for that cause. Such was the man who was selected by the
providence of God to help give direction to the religious thoughts
of the early settlers of Ashtabula County.
Dr. Cowles remained in charge of the church as
its pastor till the year of 1830, when resigned. The following
was the text from which he preached his farewell sermon at the close
of his ministry: "God forbid that I should cease to pray for you!"
He continued to preach occasionally, however, in neighboring
churches. Rev. Henry Cowles, formerly of Colebrook,
Connections, a graduate of Yale, succeeded Dr. Cowles as the
pastor of the church, and remained in charge of it till the winter
of 1835-36, when he was dismissed at his own request of the purpose
of occupying a professor's chair in Oberlin college, which he filled
for many years.
In 1823, Dr. Cowles met with his first
affliction by death in his family in the loss of his beloved son,
Edward Giles Hooker, who was taken away at the age of
twenty-one. He was a young man of more than ordinary business
ability; so much so, that he relieved his father of most of the care
of the farm and his business matters for several years.
In 1830 the doctor met with his greatest loss, - that
of his beloved helpmeet, his beautiful Christian wife, the devoted
mother of his nine children; she who did so much to smooth the path
over which he journeyed through life. She died at a
comparatively young age - fifty-six years. The death of this
model wife and mother caused a sad vacancy in the household as well
as in the social circle of Ashtabula County. She was buried by
the side of her mother, Mrs. Abigail White, who had preceded
her the year before. Dr. Cowles submitted the loss of
his wife with Christian resignation, - felt that the separation was
only temporary, that what was his loss was her gain. For five
years after her death, he lived at the homestead with five of his
children, - Lysander, Lewis, Martha, Cornelia, and Betsey.
In addition it was the privilege of two others of his children
to live near by, - William Elbert, who lived on his farm just
a mile from the Centre, and Sally, who was married to Rev.
Eliphalet Austin, a son of Judge Austin, and who lived at
the North End. The eldest son, Dr. Edwin W. Cowles, was
practicing his profession, that of medicine, in Detroit. The
affectionate children practicing his profession, that of medicine,
in Detroit. The affectionate children vied with each other in
ministering to the comfort of their venerable father.
Cornelia especially taking it upon herself to watch over his
health and guard him against exposure; but in spite of her
affectionate care, he was taken ill in the year of 1835, and after
suffering from his disease for four months, which he endured with
Christian fortitude, he passed away on a beautiful Sunday evening,
July 5, in the sixty-ninth year of his age, and the forty-second
year of his ministry. His funeral took place the following
Tuesday, in the church he helped to build, and which was crowded to
overflowing by a sorrowing people who felt that they had indeed lost
a father in the death of their former pastor. The following
clergymen assisted in the exercises: Rev. Henry Cowles, the
pastor, Rev. Joseph Badger, Rev. Caleb Burbank, Dr. Perry Pratt,
Rev. Lucius Foot, the evangelist, and Rev. Mr. Danforth.
Rev. Mr. Badger read the introductory hymn. It was
intended that he, as a brother pioneer clergyman and co-worker of
Dr. Cowles, should have delivered the funeral sermon, but his
voice had become too weak, and he was obliged to decline the
invitation. Rev. Mr. Henry Cowles delivered the sermon,
which was very impressive. The remains were interred by the
side of his devoted wife and his affectionate son, in the cemetery
of the church.
Since the departure of Dr. Cowles to the "other
side of the river" he has been joined by nearly all his children, -
Lysander, in 1857; Edwin, in 1861; Lewis, in
1861; Cornelia in 1869; Sally, in 1872; and Betsey,
in 1876. Now only two of that remarkable group of children are
left to tell the good deeds of the pioneer pastor, - Martha
and William Elbert. They are waiting patiently and
willingly to join their father and mother, brothers and sisters.
Mrs. Helen C. Wheeler, of Butler, Missouri,
Judge Samuel Cowles, of San Francisco, Mr. Edwin Cowles,
of Cleveland, and Mr. Alfred Cowles, of Chicago, children of
Dr. E. W. Cowles; Mrs. Cornelia C. Fuller only living child
of Mr. William Elbert Cowles; Messrs. Edward and
Lysander and Miss Julia, children of Mr. Lewis D.
Cowles, are the grandchildren of Dr. Cowles now living.
*By his grandson, Edwin Cowles, Esq.
Source #3 - 1798 - History of Ashtabula County, Ohio with
Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Pioneers and Most
Prominent Men. by Publ. Philadelphia - Williams Brothers - 1878 -
Page 93 |
