edited by
ALVIN EUSTIS
On the Road in 1835: A
Journey
of the Reverend James McElroy
The following letters of Rev. James
McElroy are addressed to the minister's wife in
Delaware, Ohio, and describe a journey
from that town to Lexington, Kentucky, in
1835. The Episcopalian clergyman had
taken a leave of absence from the parish of
St. Peter's in Delaware in order to
serve for a time as agent for the American Bible
Society.1
James McElroy was born in Ireland in
1805 and studied there for the Protestant
Episcopal ministry at Trinity College,
Dublin. With his bride of a few months, he
came to Gambier, Ohio, in 1828 and was a
tutor at Kenyon College until 1830. In
1829 he received an honorary master's
degree and was ordained deacon. In 1831
he was ordained priest2 by
the president, Bishop Philander Chase, and served first at
Trinity Church in Cleveland. In 1832 he
moved to Delaware where, except for his
leave of absence, he remained until
1840. Moving his family to Staunton in that year,
he became the general agent of the Bible
Society of Virginia. From 1844 to 1847
he was principal of the Virginia Female
Institute in Staunton and from 1847 to 1852
the rector of two churches in Botetourt
County, Virginia. In the latter year he
returned to Delaware as rector of St.
Peter's. Also during this time from 1852 to
1870, McElroy served as a member of the
board of trustees of Kenyon College, and
was awarded an honorary Doctor of
Divinity in 1868 from his alma mater. Accepting
in 1863 the position of district
secretary of the American Tract Society, he resided
first in Springfield, then in Mansfield.
He also served as rector of St. Paul's Church
in Greenville from 1865 to 1867. An 1869
appointment to the Protestant Episcopal
mission in Santa Clara took him West to
California, where he remained until his
death on June 21, 1880.3
The historical and evangelical details
in his letters are still of interest, as are some
of the personalities mentioned,
especially since McElroy was in the first graduation
class at Kenyon on September 9, 1829,
and received the first honorary master's
1. The American Bible Society is a
nondenominational organization established in 1816 to
encourage the wider circulation of the
Bible and is principally supported by gifts from individuals
and churches. By 1833 it had distributed
1,533,668 copies of the Bible and Testaments in seven
different languages. "American
Bible Society," Methodist Magazine and Quarterly Review, XV
(1833), 480.
2. Catalogue of Kenyon College and of
the Theological Seminary of the Diocese of Ohio,
1825 to 1872 (Gambier, 0., 1873), 8, 15, 39.
3. Family history is taken from the
family records preserved by James McElroy's great-
granddaughter, Helen Sarah Lathrop Eustis.
Mr. Eustis is Professor of French at the
University of California, Berkeley.
degree given by the college. Other classmates mentioned give indication of the pioneer work done by the Kenyon College graduates in establishing Episcopal churches in Ohio and Kentucky. McElroy's sensitivity to places and people and the liveliness of his pen in recording his impressions make his account appealing to the modern reader. Particularly noteworthy are his descriptions of the countryside in western Ohio and northern Kentucky, the vignette of the July Fourth celebration in Troy, the outbreak of "cholera" near Cincinnati, and the conversation with the Kentucky mountaineer. Although this Christian is filled with charity for his fellow beings, he is resentful of ostentation, as is shown in his commentary on the prominent lawyer who, becoming a clergyman, forsook the world in order to "live well" on a plantation. Piqua, July Tuesday 7th 1835. My Dear Maria, I wrote you from Troy on Friday 3rd and hope that you have received my letter-- I embrace an opportunity of sending this to Columbus by Col. Johnston--4 He will reach there by Monday next and you will receive this by tomorrow week at farthest. I hope that you are fast recovering your strength5 and that the children are well-- My health is very fine and my spirits continue good - I enjoy the agency, so far, very much. On Friday evening I met the Miami Co. Bible society at the Baptist church in Troy and we had a good meeting. On Saturday Committees waited on me to unite with Mr. Guion6 who had been appointed chaplain to officiate at two cele-
4. John Johnston (1775-1861), the Indian agent who served with Brigadier General Wayne in his campaign against the Indians in northwestern Ohio in 1792-93. Johnston, too, had emigrated from Ireland. 5. Mrs. McElroy had had her second child on June 20. 6. Alvah Guion, a graduate of Kenyon College and ordained deacon in 1832, served his first parish in Piqua, Ohio; was ordained priest in 1834; served as rector in Greenville in 1837; died 1872. |
Journey of James McElroy 223
brations of the 4th--one a general
celebration and the other a celebration by the
young gentlemen and Ladies of the
Village--At the time appointed for the proces-
sion to form a committee for the
general celebration came up to wait on us down
to where it was to form - The
procession was large and preceded by a good band
of music [.] we marched to the
Episcopal church where after prayers by Mr. Guion,
the reading of the declaration of
Independence by one appointed for the purpose an
oration was delivered by the orator
of the day. An anthem was then performed by
the choir of the church in very good
style accompanied by an organ which they have
already procured. After the services
we marched in procession to a long arbor in
the centre of the square where a very
good dinner was prepared. In the afternoon a
committee from the young gentlemen
and ladies waited on us to attend us to their
celebration. It consisted in tea and
cake prepared by the benevolent society of the
Episcopal church--forty couple[s] sat
down--the young ladies drest [sic] in
white and the gentlemen in their best
suit[s]. It was a delightful sight. Mr. Guion
asked the blessing and I returned
thanks. After tea the whole party took a walk and
after the walk returned to the house
opposite to which the arbor was prepared under
which the tea and cake were served up
and spent the evening very innocently and
delightfully - On Saturday evening I
preached in the Episcopal church upon the
subject of my mission and fifteen
dollars were contributed to be appropriated to
constituting Mr. Guion a life member
of the Parent Society--On Sunday I attended
the Episcopal and Presbyterian Sunday
Schools in Troy and addressed them--
preached in the Episcopal church Troy
in the forenoon and in the afternoon in the
Episcopal church in Piqua. The church
in Troy is a truly elegant building--The
congregations were large and
attentive - Several who heard me preach in Troy
came up to Piqua to hear me again--On
yesterday I attended in the forenoon at the
Presbyterian church and was present
and assisted at their monthly concert for prayer.
The pastor is of a most excellent
spirit--In the afternoon I met the female Bible
society of Piqua and vicinity and
other friends of the Object at the Episcopal
church--The meeting was opened by the
Presbyterian Br. [Brother] and closed by
the Baptist Br. I preached and felt
happy in the work--a very deep impression was
made. The Presbyterian Br. rose and
melted down.7 Said he wished that something
should be done and moved that the
gentlemen present should make a subscription on
the spot to aid the foreign distribution
- Thirty four dollars were immediately
subscribed and gentlemen volunteered
to extend it out of the congregation--The
ladies society emptied their treasury
into my hands for the same object--gave the
noble gift of 60 dollars--In the
afternoon I attended the missionary concert of
prayer in the Episcopal church and
made an address--The Episcopal churches of
Troy and Piqua are very flourishing
and Mr. Guion is very much beloved--Last
evening we came up to Col. Johnston's
and spent the night there--I am now writing
at his brother's a very wealthy &
respectable gentleman--On the way up the Col.
told me that he is to be in Columbus
on Monday next and I sit down amidst talk and
chat and laugh to scribble this.
I scarcely know what I have written.
I am very happy--Every one with whom I
have to do treat me with respect and
great attention--The country in all this
region is very healthy--The cholera
is in Cincinnati but confined to very few--&
excites scarcely any attention--It
was confined in the neighborhood of Warren to
7. An old expression for cashing a
check; meaning here that the "Presbyterian Br." made the
first contribution. Eric Partridge, A
Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (New
York, 1953).
224 OHIO
HISTORY
a few men who went out to catch fish
in the canal drained of its water. After catching
a great quantity of fish and
collecting them in a house near they commenced to frolick
--drank all night and next morning
cooked and eat their fish already somewhat
tainted--They frolicked again that
day and on their return every one of them was
taken & died with cholera. It
had, exclusively, confined itself to that number--
Farewell the Lord be with thee. I now start for Greenville.
Ever your
James--
[On the back:] Mr. McElroy left Piqua
last week in good health and spirits for
Greenville, thence to Oxford &c.
his visit at Piqua was very satisfactory to himself
his friends and the friends of the
Bible cause.
Johnston
Mrs. McElroy.
Columbus, July 13
Hamilton, Butler Co. July 11th 1835
My Dear Maria,
You have reced., I hope, my letter
from Troy of the 3rd inst. I wrote, at Piqua,
on Tuesday last the 8th inst. and
left the letter to be carried to Columbus on Monday
next and mailed on Tuesday by Col.
Johnston. In the Piqua letter I gave you a
history of my visit and labors in
Troy and Piqua up to the hour I was starting for
Greenville the county seat of Darke
Co. I shall now give you my history since
Tuesday morning and promise that my
health is excellent, thank God! It has been
improving every hour. My mind is
often with you and the children and I hope and
pray that you are fast recovering
your strength, & that the children are well--I had
a solitary ride over to
Greenville--ten or twelve miles of the road is an unbroken
wilderness and little better than an
indian trail--When about half way the report
of a distant huntsman's gun was
reviving--It rained which made the way more
gloomy. I reached Greenville about
seven in the evening and met with a very cordial
reception from Dr. Briggs8 and
lady of our church--The secretary of the Co. Bible
society was absent and no appointment
was made. But Mr. Sheldon9 had been there
three weeks ago and done my work for
me--On Wednesday the Episcopalians
requested me to preach for them in
the evening which I did with pleasure to a
crowded audience. I preached in the
court-house and had hardly room to stand the
room was so full. I preached without
notes and for the first time to my satisfaction.
The church people were so pleased
after service that they were ready to put green
rushes under my feet.10 On
Thursday I left Greenville for Eton [Eaton] the Co. seat
of the Co. South and stopped halfway
at a farm house to feed Charly and if convenient
to get dinner--The house proved clean
and neat inside and I had scarcely been
seated when the lady of the house a
very tidy and interesting young woman inquired
if I was not a clergyman--Being
answered in the affirmative She told me that she
8. The Episcopalians in Greenville,
Darke County, did not have an organized parish until
Dr. John Briggs and his wife Eliza A.
Briggs led in its organization, with missionary aid from
Rev. Alvah Guion, in 1837. In that year
Rev. Guion became rector of the newly established
St. Paul's Episcopal Church; their first
building was not erected until 1840. Frazer E. Wilson,
History of Darke County, Ohio . . . (Milford, O., 1914), I, 214-216.
9. Unknown.
10. A biblical expression denoting a way
of honoring a person. Today we would say "roll out
the red carpet."
Journey of James McElroy 225
was raised in the presbyterian church
as was also her husband but that they had not
heard a sermon for two years--But one
family in ten in her neighborhood had a
Bible--Her husband soon came in--My
horse was well taken care of and a good
dinner furnished to me--I told them
who and what I was. As I was preparing to
go off she assisted me in holding the
tapes & pins to fix my leggins and appeared so
kind that I feel happy in telling you
her kindness and when I presented money they
refused--Such disinterested kindness
far from home and in the wilderness melts
me and does me good--
Reached Eton about 5 and put up at a
Hotel--On enquiry learned that the
Pres. cler. [Presbyterian clergy] to
whom I sent my circular had left and that there
was no appointment--I found but two
friends of the Bible cause in town a
presbyterian elder and a new light
preacher.11 I spent the night at the
preacher's--
On Friday left Eton for Oxford the
seat of the Miami University and reached it about
four in the afternoon - put up at a
hotel and after having shaved and dressed up
called on the president Dr. Bishop12--found
him at home and was most cordially
reced. by him and lady. I spent the
night with him - At six met the faculty and
the pastor of the Pres. ch.
[Presbyterian Church] in Oxford by appointment of the
President and laid the object of my
visit before them. Some interest was excited and
I was requested to meet the the [sic]
University next morning after prayers in the
college chapel--Spent a pleasant
afternoon--the President took me through the
college and the Prof. of Natural
Science showed me their apparatus &c. I was very
much pleased with the professors--Next
morning met the University and some of
the townspeople and spoke for 20
minutes on the subject of my mission--I was
to be in Hamilton at 12 to meet the
Co. Soc. [Society] and could not spare more time.
An interest seemed to be excited and
I reced. a pledge that something handsome
wd. [would] be done. Left Oxford at 1/2 / 0
nine [9:30] and got to this place just in
time for the meeting--Made a speech
and a good deal of interest has been excited.
I am to preach tomorrow in the two
presbyterian churches and in the evening for the
Episcopalians in either of the
Presbyterian churches--The country from Eton to
Oxford 18 miles and from Oxford to
this place 12 miles is in a high state of cultivation
and is the most delightful section I
have yet seen in the state--The county is very
healthy and the cholera has
disappeared from the city--Cincinnati only 25 miles
from this place--I go down on Monday.
I have been greatly disappointed--I
expected to find a letter from you in Oxford
but there was no letter there and
today I expected certainly to find one here but no
letter. I shall live in hope that
tomorrow's mail will bring one. I shall write again
from Cincinnati on Thursday morning
next. I hope again that you are fast recovering
and that the children are well--I
hope that Mr. Shepherd's13 family and all friends
are well--
The great head of the church is
giving me acceptance with the people and my
agency so far has been of the most
pleasant nature--Excepting the unpleasantness
of being separated from my family I
have never enjoyed myself so well--I commend
you all to the care and protection of
our Heavenly Father.
James
11. The Baptist and the Christians, or
New Lights as they were commonly called, believed
that immersion was the only Scriptural
form of baptism, while the Presbyterians and Methodists
approved the traditional form of
sprinkling.
12. Robert Hamilton Bishop (1777-1855),
president of Miami University from 1824 to 1841
and afterwards a professor there.
13. Unknown.
226 OHIO HISTORY
Lexington, September 23rd. 1835
My Dear Maria,
I reached Lexington yesterday about 4
P.M. in fine health and spirits thank God!
and put up with our old friends Mr.
and Mrs. Caswall at the Theological Seminary
of the Diocese of Kentucky.14 They
are most pleasantly and delightfully situated.
Mrs. Caswall was confined of a boy (a
second child) about 4 weeks ago. Both Mother
and child are doing very well--They
are overflowing with affection and kindness.
I was at the Post office yesterday
evening, and this morning in tiptoe expectation of
a letter from you, but no letter from
you was there--You are not, however, to blame
as the 27th inst. was the time I
specified for Lexington. I crossed the Ohio a few
minutes after I mailed my letter from
Portsmouth and proceeded up and down the
high, rough and wild hills or
mountains of Greenup Co. Kentucky to fill my appoint-
ment at the Pres. ch. [church] But
few attended--I made a short address and
returned two miles on my way to Lewis
Co. to dine with a Widow Lawson--15 After
dinner started for Mr. C. [T.]
Marshall's16 12 miles distant in Lewis Co. Reached
Mr. Marshall's late in the evening
and met with a very warm reception from him and
lady-- Mr. Marshall is a nephew
[brother] of the late chief justice Marshall and
his lady very nearly related to the
great Washington. Wednesday left Mr. Marshall's
for his brother's [nephew's] Martin
P. Marshall's of Fleming Co. 40 miles distant--
At 1 stopped at Clarksburg the Co.
seat of Lewis Co. and dined and fed my horse--
Clarksburg is a very small
place-number of houses about 15 and the population 40.
The inhabitants are a wild
people--perfect mountaineers. The high hills in the
neighborhood are full of bear and
these Kentuckians often hunt them with hatchet
and knife--We count (said one who
dined at the same table with me) the man a
coward who would not attack a bear single
handed with a knife. I had a long conver-
sation with these buccaneers the
details of which I shall keep for a fire side chat--
Started at 2 and reached Mr. Martin
P. Marshall's noble mansion at seven P. M. and
was reced. with great kindness--This
gentleman lives in a very fine stile [sic]--a
little slave waits on every child--or
rather every one of his children is waited on at
breakfast, dinner &c. by a little
slave--His wife is an old acquaintance of Mrs.
Little17 and spoke very
highly of her--Left Mr. Marshall's at 9 next morning for
Rev. Mr. Todd's of the Pres. ch. of
Flemingsburg--Found Mr. Todd at home and
was reced. and treated by him and
lady with great affection. Spent the day writing
letters and making arrangements for
my visitations--I am to be in Flemingsburg
14. Henry Caswall (1810-70) was born in
England and graduated from Kenyon College in
1830. He graduated from the Kenyon
Theological Seminary in 1831 and was ordained deacon
at the same time. His first parish was
Portsmouth, Ohio, July 1831. One biography includes the
statement that he was the first minister
ordained at Kenyon; this is an error since James McElroy
was also ordained at the same
graduation, but with a second order. Caswall was sent to the
newly established Theological Seminary
at Lexington in 1834. Henry Caswall, America, and the
American Church (London, 1851), 69, 78-79, 186, 205-206. Appleton's
Cyclopaedia of Ameri-
can Biography (New York, 1887), 556, includes many errors in its
presentation.
15. Probably the mother of the late
physician Leonidas Moreau Lawson, whose father was a
clergyman in Kentucky. If so, her maiden
name was Hannah Chancellor.
16. McElroy is a little confused in his
reporting of the Marshalls. He apparently first stopped
at General Thomas Marshall's
(1793-1853), brother of Chief Justice Marshall. "C" (Charles)
Marshall was father to Martin P.
Marshall (1798-1883) and brother to Thomas, making Martin
nephew of Thomas. Since both men were
nearly the same age, the confusion is understandable.
Thomas Marshall's estate comprised three
thousand acres, and that of Martin P. Marshall,
"Belle-Grove," was also large
and was noted for its beauty and "well selected" library. W. M.
Paxton, The Marshall Family (Cincinnati,
1885), 115-117, 125-127.
17. The first letter is addressed,
"c/o Wm. Little, Esq., Delaware."
Journey of James McElroy 227
again on the 1st Sunday in
October--Left Mr. Todd's on Friday morning for
Millersburg in Bourbon Co. 26 miles
distant--Stopped on the way with an old
Pres. cler. dined with him and had my
horse fed--He was for many years at the
head of the profession of law in
Maryland but on his conversion gave up the world
and entered the ministry--He has a
large plantation owns slaves and lives well--
Left him at 2 and reached Millersburg
at 6--It rained on me the greater part of
the way into Millersburg and rained
in such torrents the whole evening that I could
not get a meeting as I had
arranged--Spent this night at a tavern. Next morning
after breakfast rode into Paris the
Co. seat and 16 miles from Lexington. Called at
the Episco. clergymans [sic] and was
reced. most cordially by him and lady--Spent
the afternoon in visiting on my
mission--Preached for him on Sunday morning and
at the Pres. ch. in the afternoon for
the Bible Society. Reced. $41. Rode from Paris
here yesterday--I shall go tomorrow
to Frankfort and return next day and spend
next Sunday and Monday here. I shall
hope to find a letter from you on my return
from Frankfort--Greenup and Lewis
Counties are but thinly settled--The hills
are so high and steep and the valleys
so narrow that the population will always be
few and poor--Part of Fleming Co. is
also mountainous, but part very fine--My
ride from Fleming to the Pres. Cler.
with whom I dined was across a steeply rolling
country but notwithstanding well
settled--From his house to Paris and from Paris
to Lexington is truly
delightful--About 3 miles from the clerg. house I struck the
Turnpike from Lexington to
Maysville--The road is such another as our best roads
and the country on both sides to
Lexington is very rich and extremely well culti-
vated--It looks very like Ireland It
may be well called the Ireland of America as to
soil and appearance of the face of
the country and somewhat so as to the inhabitants.
Lexington for an american city is
very elegant. The inhabitants are up to the ton
of fashion [fashionable]. There is
quite an aristocracy here. The Kentuckians in the
region in which I have traveled are not
very unlike the southern Ohioans and I do
not think they exceed us in
hospitality - I have been entertained with as much
hospitality in Ohio as I have here. I
have met with but little true refinement--The
majority of the ladies are in manner
very like Sarah Regger [a hometown allu-
sion?]--That is the style but here in
Lexington they are quite refined as much so
as in any part of the world--Where
ever I have traveled I have been known--I
have met with some one who knew us at
Gambier either personally or by report.
How strange this is! Thank God we are
known favorably. I am very anxious to know
what is going on at Miami University
for us. I am very doubtful as to duty. If I
could procure a livelihood by parochial
labor I should prefer it far - You and our
dear charly18 and babes
are constantly with me. I shall hope that my unworthy
prayers for your safey, comfort and
salvation will be heard and answered--Write
to Maysville Mason Co. Kentucky - I
said by mistake Washington Co. in my
letter from Portsmouth - Write on
receipt of this. I shall hope to hear from you
on my return from Frankfort. Mr. and
Mrs. Caswall send their love to you--Kiss
the children for me and believe me
Ever your
Jas. McElroy
18. The eldest child, Charles Henry
(1830-1901).
edited by
ALVIN EUSTIS
On the Road in 1835: A
Journey
of the Reverend James McElroy
The following letters of Rev. James
McElroy are addressed to the minister's wife in
Delaware, Ohio, and describe a journey
from that town to Lexington, Kentucky, in
1835. The Episcopalian clergyman had
taken a leave of absence from the parish of
St. Peter's in Delaware in order to
serve for a time as agent for the American Bible
Society.1
James McElroy was born in Ireland in
1805 and studied there for the Protestant
Episcopal ministry at Trinity College,
Dublin. With his bride of a few months, he
came to Gambier, Ohio, in 1828 and was a
tutor at Kenyon College until 1830. In
1829 he received an honorary master's
degree and was ordained deacon. In 1831
he was ordained priest2 by
the president, Bishop Philander Chase, and served first at
Trinity Church in Cleveland. In 1832 he
moved to Delaware where, except for his
leave of absence, he remained until
1840. Moving his family to Staunton in that year,
he became the general agent of the Bible
Society of Virginia. From 1844 to 1847
he was principal of the Virginia Female
Institute in Staunton and from 1847 to 1852
the rector of two churches in Botetourt
County, Virginia. In the latter year he
returned to Delaware as rector of St.
Peter's. Also during this time from 1852 to
1870, McElroy served as a member of the
board of trustees of Kenyon College, and
was awarded an honorary Doctor of
Divinity in 1868 from his alma mater. Accepting
in 1863 the position of district
secretary of the American Tract Society, he resided
first in Springfield, then in Mansfield.
He also served as rector of St. Paul's Church
in Greenville from 1865 to 1867. An 1869
appointment to the Protestant Episcopal
mission in Santa Clara took him West to
California, where he remained until his
death on June 21, 1880.3
The historical and evangelical details
in his letters are still of interest, as are some
of the personalities mentioned,
especially since McElroy was in the first graduation
class at Kenyon on September 9, 1829,
and received the first honorary master's
1. The American Bible Society is a
nondenominational organization established in 1816 to
encourage the wider circulation of the
Bible and is principally supported by gifts from individuals
and churches. By 1833 it had distributed
1,533,668 copies of the Bible and Testaments in seven
different languages. "American
Bible Society," Methodist Magazine and Quarterly Review, XV
(1833), 480.
2. Catalogue of Kenyon College and of
the Theological Seminary of the Diocese of Ohio,
1825 to 1872 (Gambier, 0., 1873), 8, 15, 39.
3. Family history is taken from the
family records preserved by James McElroy's great-
granddaughter, Helen Sarah Lathrop Eustis.
Mr. Eustis is Professor of French at the
University of California, Berkeley.