Stranica 205 [205]
a
M. E. CHURCH, PHILLIPSVILLE.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Phillipsville
is an elegant stone structure (52x34 feet), and has a
tower and spire 97 feet in height. It was completed
in 1874, by William Willoughby, of Almonte; N.
Leonard having charge of the carpenter work. The
site is on Main Street (part of Lot No. 24, in the 6th
Concession of Bastard), the total cost of the church
being $6,000. The auditorium is carpeted, and
contains 450 sittings. The charge includes the
congregations at Phillipsville, Elgin, Portland, and
California, the total membership being 270, of whom
110 belong to the Society at Phillipsville. The Rev.
G. S. White, D. D., of Elgin, is now pastor of the
charge.
CENTRAL HOTEL, DELTA.
Mr. Anthony Flood, proprietor of the Central
Hotel, Delta, was born in Portland, Township of
Bastard, in 1844, He married, and has been
engaged in the hotel business five years, occupying
fitted up for the convenience of guests, and is a
favorite resort for sportsmen who visit Beverly Lake
in the hunting and fishing season. The duck hunt¬
ing on the upper lake cannot be surpassed in Central
Canada, while the lower lake offers many inducements
to the angler.
LIFE AMONG THE MORMONS.
The first settler at Portland was Heman Chipman ;
at first his nearest neighbor was four miles distant.
His family consisted of Ami, Nathaniel, Harman,
Ezra, Martin, George, Amanda and Flora.
The eldest son, Ami; cut the first stick of timber
on the site of the present Village of Portland. |
Amanda married William B. Seaman, who left
Canada with the Mormons.
Flora married a man named Weston, who also de¬
parted with the Mormons.
In January, 1837, Ami Chipman, with his wife and
two children, his mother, Truman Beach, Lyman
Beach, Truman Stoddard, Lyman Stoddard, William
B. Seaman, Stephen Chipman, and others, left the
at Cole’s Ferry ez route for the Mormon El Dorado,
in the far west. Ami Chipman and his family pro¬
ceeded up the lakes to Cleveland, where they met
the remainder of the party, who had proceeded over¬
land, driving the cattle. At Kirkland, Chipman
hired a team with Hyde (the man who was executed
a short time since), and, in company with Heber C.
Kimball, Erastus C. Snow and other prominent Mor¬
mons, started across the country for the Ohio river,
iz
eee AMMAR S ÉNEK 5o9)
Louis. From that city they proceeded up the
Missouri river some four hundred miles, landing at
Richmond and going back to Colwell County, and
from thence to Fairwest, where they saw Brigham
Young, at that time a bushwacker in every sense of
the term. Proceeding to Grand River, they found
the Mormons encamped in considerable numbers
and determined to build a city to be called Adam-on¬
di-a-mon, After remaining three weeks at this
point, Ami Chipman and a friend named William
Dickson determined to abandon Mormon life and
return home. They set out and reached Quincey, TU
where they met a large number of Mormons, and
among the number, several old friends and neigh¬
bors, by whom they were induced to turn back to
the Missouri River, to a place called DeWitt. At
DeWitt the Mormons were surrounded by a mob arid
threatened with extermination. The Mormons num¬
bered about two hundred men, women and children.
Skirmishing was kept up for some time, until a
steamboat arrived, by which a message was des¬
patched to the Governor of the State, asking for pro¬
tection. The Governor, whose name was Boggs,
paid no attention to the message but sent word to
the mob “to kill every Mormon.” In the interval
the Mormons at Fairwest came tothe rescue of their
brethren and raised the seige and escorted them to
Fairwest. Chipman, and his friends from Bastard,
camped out in the woods, about two miles from the
Mormon headquarters. The Governor of the State
called out the militia, about two thousand strong,
and pursued the Mormons, many of whom were
taken prisoners, including Chipman and his friends. .
At night they encamped, a small fire was built,
around which was placed a guard of militia with
make his escape. Chipman and the other members
of the party were without anything to eat during
the entire day, but during the night were. given
some flour and salt, which they mixed with water on
the end-board of a wagon, baking the mixture in the
coals. The prisoners were retained in custody for
two days and two nights. A compromise was
effected by which it was agreed that the heads of the
Mormon Church should surrender themselves as hos¬
tages, the remainder of the Mormons to be set free.
Accordingly, Brigham Young, Lee, Lyman White,
Lyman P. Pratt, Austin Pratt, and others, sur¬
rendered and were incarcerated in Clay County
Gaol; subsequently they were tried and acquitted.
They then proceeded to found the City of Nauvoo,
Stephen Byington turning the first sod. Mr. Chip- |
man longed to return to Canada, but at that time
all new comers were closely watched and were not