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Douglass Gorrie CHAPTER 15

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REV. BISHOP ROBERTS

Robert Richford Roberts was born August 2d, 1778, in Frederick County, Maryland. His father was a respectable farmer, and was a zealous member of the Church of England, and a soldier of the Revolution. Robert R. was put to school when between four and five years of age, and before he was seven years old, he was able to read the Bible quite intelligibly. He was baptized in infancy according to the usages of the Church of England, and when older was taught the Catechism of the Church, and was while but a boy, the subject of deep religious impressions, although his parents were not at that time experimentally pious, but rested in the outward form of religion.

When young Roberts was about seven years of age, his father removed to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where the inhabitants were mostly Presbyterians, and as the elder Roberts entertained a dislike for any kind of worship, that was not of "the Church," he seldom worshipped with them.

Three years after his removal to Pennsylvania, the neighborhood where he resided was visited by Methodist preachers, but he would not hear them, believing them to be false prophets. At length Mrs.

Roberts was constrained to go, and took young Robert R. with her. She was powerfully convicted under the sermon, but on account of the wishes of her husband, she refrained from going to hear them again for a length of time. The other members of the family, however, continued to attend from time to time, and a quarterly-meeting being held in the neighborhood, the elder son, John, was prevailed upon by his sisters to attend the love-feast, and bring back an account of what might transpire there. On his return, they were all curiosity to know what he had seen and heard, and to their astonishment he told them, he believed the Methodists were a good people. This reply was strange to young Robert R., who had heretofore heard his brother say very severe things against that people.

Soon after this, one of his sisters being under conviction, retired to the woods to pray; young Robert overheard her asking God to pardon her sins, and he wondered very much, what enormous sin she could have committed, to affect her thus deeply. Soon after this, he learned, that three of his sisters had united with the Methodist Church, and that his elder sister, Sarah, had actually prayed in public! Such was the effect of this young lady's prayers and zeal, in the cause of Christ, that shortly, others of the children, together with the father and mother, joined the "sect everywhere spoken against," and the house of the elder Roberts became a regular preaching place, and a home for the preachers. When Robert R. was about fourteen years of age, he obtained the evidence of his acceptance with God, and soon after joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. He also commenced attending school again, a privilege he had not enjoyed since he left Maryland.

In the spring of 1796, young Roberts being nearly eighteen years of age, in company with four other young men, left his father's house and went to Shenango, now Mercer County, Pa. The Legislature of Pennsylvania had passed an act granting four hundred acres of land to actual settlers under certain conditions. Robert R. and one of his brothers thinking this to be a good offer,

concluded to comply with the conditions prescribed, and thus secure a home and independence. They traveled on foot, and carried their provisions in knapsacks upon their backs. They, however, caught plenty of wild game by the way, which added greatly to their necessarily scanty store. In the meantime, his brother and another of his associates becoming discouraged with the prospect before them, returned home, but Robert and two others kept on their way, until they arrived at a place where the land suited them, and where they resolved to make a location. Here they fell in with two other young men, who were also looking for land, and the five resolved to keep together, and form a settlement in the wilderness. They cut logs, built a cabin, covering it with chestnut bark, and deadened a few trees. Soon, however, their provisions ran out, and Mr. Roberts had no money to purchase any more; one of his associates, however, lent him some, and they had to go twenty miles to obtain a supply, and when obtained were obliged to carry it on their backs the same distance. The price which they paid for provisions and seed for their ground, was high compared with present prices; corn was two dollars per bushel, and potatoes three dollars! The crops of the succeeding summer came in very scantily, the corn being mostly destroyed by squirrels. Mr. Roberts, accordingly, made up his mind to return home, and assist in harvesting. When he arrived at the paternal mansion, his parents and friends were greatly rejoiced to see him, fearing before his arrival that he was dead.

In the spring of 1797, Mr. Roberts in company with two of his brothers, and six other persons, started once more for Shenango. Here they remained for some time, clearing land, planting corn, &c.

His brothers, however, soon returned home, designing ultimately to settle on the lands near Robert's location. After their departure, so greatly was our young pioneer distressed for provisions, that he actually subsisted for three weeks on squirrels and salt! until his brothers returned again, in company with his father and one of his sisters, who brought with them four horses laden with provisions and four cows. Robert R. and his sister determined to spend the winter in the settlement, which they accordingly did very comfortably, he spending his time mostly in hunting, and meeting with some providential escapes from the fury of wild beasts, that he wounded without instantly killing, and she being in more or less dread of the Indians, who wandered through the forest. In the spring of 1798, Mr. Roberts was joined by his father, brothers, and another sister, all of whom had come to settle permanently in the new country.

About this time, Mr. Roberts having gone to procure more provisions, was on the way entertained at the house of a local preacher, and in the neighborhood a meeting was held. After a sermon by the local preacher — Mr. Gurwell — the latter called on Mr. Roberts to say something by way of exhortation, to the people. He accordingly made the attempt, and delivered a brief address fraught with pathos and good sense, which betokened the future greatness of the young backwoods man.

This was his first effort at public speaking.

About the middle of April, Mr. Roberts and his younger brother started for their old place of residence, for the purpose of conveying to Shenango a part of the family, which had been left behind.

Among these last, was his maternal grandfather, Mr. Richford, an old gentleman ninety-three years of age. As the only mode of conveyance was by horseback, it was extremely difficult for the old man to pursue the journey, as streams of considerable width and depth had to be forded. To add to the difficulty of the undertaking, the old grandfather being in his dotage, was somewhat peevish and fretful, and not a little stubborn, as well as fearful. However, by dint of stratagem and perseverance,

they succeeded in getting the old man along, at the expense of an occasional wetting. Our emigrants were ten days on the journey, and lay out every night, there being no taverns or dwelling-houses the whole distance. Robert R. carried bags of flour and other provisions, over streams, by walking on the trunks of fallen trees. Nancy Roberts drove three cows and two pigs, carrying an axe on her shoulder, and walking all the way. Sarah walked also the entire distance, carrying a spinning-wheel on her shoulder. Another sister, Sophia, sometimes rode behind the pack, on one of the horses, and sometimes walked.

The removal of the Roberts family to Shenango, was the means of introducing Methodism into that hitherto wilderness country, so that in the summer of 1798, a Society was formed by local preachers who had also emigrated to that region. Robert R. was appointed leader of the class, and made himself useful in holding prayer-meetings, &c. in the meantime, the country was becoming rapidly inhabited by emigrants from older places, so that there were religious meetings frequently held among them by local preachers, who were sometimes assisted by Mr. Roberts. In the winter of 1799, Robert R. went to his former place of residence, with a large quantity of furs, amounting in value to about one hundred and fifty dollars, the proceeds of his hunting during the former part of the winter. Before his return home, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Oldham, of York County, Pa., and shortly after their marriage, they took up their line of march for Shenango; Mrs. Roberts, the new-made bride, riding on a pack-horse, and with the bridegroom being obliged to remain out all night in the woods, with snow on the ground, and the weather being severely cold, it being the beginning of February. To add to the dreariness of their situation, Lewis Roberts, who had charge of the horses carrying the provision for the journey, had proceeded somewhat in the advance, and Robert and his bride having been overtaken by the darkness of the evening before coming up with him, were compelled to lie down on their snowy bed dinnerless and supperless, having eaten nothing since early in the morning. Sleep was of course out of the question, especially as a pack of hungry wolves began to howl around most lustily. "Robert," exclaimed the bride, "they will certainly eat us up before morning." "No, Betsy," replied the courageous bridegroom, "they will be afraid to approach us; and if they do, this half burned stick, with its red blaze, will terrify them, so that they will never face it to assault us." In the morning, they resumed their journey, and overtook Lewis, who had found shelter in an inhabited hut during the night, and through the good providence of God, they in due time all arrived home in safety; and the new-married couple took up their residence in a small log hut, without a window to let in the light and keep out the cold, without a chair, or bedstead, or table, except those made in the rudest possible manner, but where they found that contentment and true happiness, which are so frequently found wanting in the splendid mansions of the great.

In the summer of 1800, Robert R. received a license to exhort. Previously to this time, his mind had been greatly exercised in regard to his being called of God to preach the Gospel, but determining, if possible, to disobey the call, he had thus far lived without any attempt to discharge the duties which he felt were imposed upon him, and tried to persuade himself that God would release him from the discharge of ministerial duties, because he viewed himself to be totally unqualified for the work; but so thought not his friends and neighbors, who, knowing his talents, and being acquainted with his consistent daily deportment as a Christian, were persuaded that there was a work for him to do. He, however, continued to stifle his convictions, and the warm and earnest entreaties of his friends, until at length he became very unhappy and uneasy in his mind, so much so, that he was obliged for the sake of recovering his lost peace, to make an attempt to preach, let

the consequences be what they might, although he was almost certain that he would utterly fail in the attempt. He accordingly preached from the text, "O, Lord, revive thy work," and the Society were so much pleased with his first effort, that they immediately recommended him to the Quarterly Conference as a suitable person to preach the Gospel. As the quarterly meeting for his own circuit was passed, he was advised by the preacher in charge, to repair to another quarterly meeting on an adjacent circuit with his recommendation. Having now fully resolved to offer his services to the Church, not only as a preacher, but as an itinerant, he complied with the advice, and being furnished with a letter from the preacher in charge, to the Quarterly Conference of Ohio circuit, he rather reluctantly, because of his being a stranger, attended the quarterly meeting of the above circuit and received a license to preach, and a recommendation to join the Baltimore Annual Conference.

After receiving his license and recommendation, he returned home to make preparation for the itinerant field, although he was quite doubtful whether the Annual Conference would receive him, especially as he was a married man, and as but few married men in those days, were received into the traveling connection. He was, however, received, and appointed to Carlisle circuit, Pa. As soon as he received information of his appointment, he distributed the most of his household utensils among his neighbors and relatives, and with two horses, one for himself, and the other for his wife, with their clothes, and bedclothes packed on the saddles, they started for their field of labor. Carlisle circuit, at that period, embraced about thirty appointments, to be filled once in four weeks. Before he had completed his third round on the circuit, he lost both his horses, and was also attacked with smallpox and measles. While under the influence of the latter disease, the family, in whose, house he happened to be taken sick, were very kind to him, and kept him warm, and gave him nothing but warm drinks. One night, however, while the family were all asleep. he went to the pump, and took a copious draught of cold water, being very thirsty. He returned to bed, fell asleep, awoke in a perspiration, and found himself materially better, and soon recovered so as to resume his labors on the circuit.

Mr. Roberts soon gave evidence of more than ordinary abilities as a preacher, so that his congregations, especially in York, Pa., were composed of the elite of the village, but such was his diffidence that this circumstance only seemed to embarrass him. On one occasion, seeing the large number of fashionable people who were flocking to the Church, he hesitated about entering, and actually withdrew to a private place, where he remained until such time as he supposed the congregation would have grown impatient, and many of them have left the house. In this, however, he was disappointed, as they all remained till he made his appearance. He made no apology, but trusting in God, went on with his discourse, and his effort, on that occasion, was spoken of with so much admiration, that it only served to increase the size of his congregation in future.

By the kindness of friends, a horse was purchased for him, and at the Conference of 1803, he was appointed to Montgomery circuit, Maryland, where he labored with great success, as the junior preacher, during a part of the year, and as the preacher in charge during the latter portion of the same.

At the Conference of 1804; Mr. Roberts was admitted into full connection, and ordained deacon by Bishop Asbury. He was appointed to Frederick circuit, as the field for his labors during the ensuing Conference year, and being in the vicinity of Baltimore during the session of the General Conference, he attended the latter body as a spectator, but after being permitted to be present for two days, the Conference ordered close doors, by which means he and other spectators were shut out, a

circumstance which disappointed him not a little; he consequently returned to the circuit, of which he had the charge, and pursued his accustomed rounds, his wife, the meanwhile, living in an upper room, and supporting herself by her own industry. The circuit embraced the place of his birth, and on his first going to the spot he visited an aged aunt, who, like his father, before his conversion, was a high-toned Episcopalian. She at first warmly received her nephew, but on learning that he was a Methodist preacher, she changed her demeanor towards him and gave him to understand that she did not like "turncoats." He replied, good-naturedly, that he never had a coat, until he got among the Methodists. She soon allowed natural affection to overcome her denominational bigotry, and extended to him a cordial welcome.

Harper's Ferry was included in the list of his appointments, but for the first two or three times of visiting the place, he found no congregation to preach to, and was about giving up the place in despair. At length, the lady, at whose house he stopped, resorted to a novel expedient to collect a congregation for the young preacher: She appointed a quilting party at her house, and invited a large number of the ladies to attend. Mr. Roberts, without knowing anything of the expedient, happened there on his regular round, and found the house full of ladies, busily engaged in making two bed-quilts. Soon after he made his appearance, the lady of the house proposed preaching, which was assented to by him and the company. He accordingly preached to them, and they were so well pleased with the discourse, that ever after, there was no want of a congregation in that place. In the fall of the year 1804, Mr. Roberts made a visit to his friends in Shenango, and leaving his wife among them to spend the winter, he returned to his circuit, where he spent the remainder of the year with profit to himself and others.

At the Conference of 1805, he was appointed to Shenango circuit, an appointment which, though it did not embrace the neighborhood where his friends lived, brought him much nearer to them.

While on this circuit, he called one day on a Presbyterian family, to get his horse fed; the ladies of the house supposing him to be a minister, were very desirous to know whether he was a Presbyterian or a Seceder, but without giving them any direct answer, they took it for granted, that he was a Presbyterian. The lady and her daughter took occasion to say some bitter things against the Methodists, but he let them pass without any opposing remarks. Being invited to stay to dinner, he did so, and after dinner, when about to leave, the lady requested him to stay over the Sabbath, and attend Church, as the minister would be very glad to see him. He informed her that he could not stay, as he had an appointment himself. She then wished to know if he was seeking a call from a congregation. He replied that he already had congregations; to which she answered, that she had never heard of any one by the name of Roberts having a congregation in that part of the country. She wished to know where his congregation was, and he, in reply, gave her a list of his appointments on his extensive charge, at which the good lady expressed great surprise. He then remarked, that he was one of those of whom she had spoken so reproachfully, a short time before. "Not a Methodist!" she exclaimed, with astonishment. "Yes:" he replied. "Well, no person could have taken you for one,"

said the good lady. She, however, invited him to call again, and ever after, treated him with the greatest respect and attention.

Through the kindness of his presiding elder, Mr. Roberts at the second quarterly meeting, received an appointment which embraced his former place of residence, and where his land was situated.

Having a little spare time, he superintended the erection of a mill, on a stream near his residence, the

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