History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

erintendent of the school at its organization. Afterwards, Willard McConnell held the office of superintendent of the school for thirty years,
while C. B. Turner was acting superintendent for fourteen years, and
other shorter terms.
The time limit of the church was originally a two year pastorate, but
in 1867 the limit was raised to three years, Rev. D. C. Jacokes being the
first Pontiac pastor to be affected by the new ruling. In 1885, after
much discussion, the time limit was extended to five years.
From the beginning of the activity of the Methodist church in Michigan until September I, 1836, Michigan was included in the Ohio conference, and at that time the Michigan conference was formed.
PASTORS FROM I826 TO THE PRESENT
The pastors of the church from its earliest organization up to the
present date have been as follows: 1826, John A. Baughman and Solomon Minear; 1827, John Janes and Zara Coston; 1827-28, William Runnels, John Janes; I82$-30, William T. Snow; 1831, Arza Brown and
William Sprague; 1832, Bradford Frazee and T. Wiley; 1833, Marcus
Swift; 1834, James F. Davidson and John Kinnear; 1835, Elijah H.
Pilcher and Frederick A. Seaburn; 1836, William Sprague and Lorenzo
Davis; 1837, Lorenzo D. Whitman and Mark Delaney; 1838, Josiah
Brakeman; 1839, Miles Sanford and Resin Sapp; 1840, James Shaw
and F. P. Bangs; I84I, Thomas Shaw, Thomas Fox; 1842, Thomas Fox;
1843, Thomas C. Gardner; 1844, Elias Crippen; 1845, David Burns;
I846-47, S. D. Simons; 1848, W. F. Cowles; 1849, L. D. Price; 1850,
Seth Reed; I851, M. W. Stambaugh and George Taylor; 1852, George
Taylor; 1853, William Kelly; I854, J. Summerville; I855-56, D. C. Jacokes; 1857-58, William Mahon; 1859-60, John Russell; 1861-62, Samuel
Clements; 1863-64, Sylvester Calkins; 1865-67, D. C. Jacokes (Mr. Jacokes was the first Methodist preacher in the United States to serve
for three years at one station); 1868-70, William Shier; 1871-73, T.
J. Joslyn; I874-76, Charles T. Allen; 1877-78, Thomas Stalker; 1882-84,
J. S. Joslyn, brother of T. J. Joslyn; 1886-89, C. T. Allen; 1889-92, N.
S. Lyons; 1892-95, Fred C. Pillsbury; 1896-99, Wilbur Sheridan; I900 -07, G. W. Jennings; 1907, W. H. Rider; I908-09, L. F. Lovejoy; i909,
W. G. Nixon, who is the present pastor. The church at present has a
membership of six hundred and seventy-five, while the Sunday-school
has an attendance of three hundred members.
MRS. SHATTUCK'S REMINISCENCES
In further commentary upon the early history of the Methodist Episcopal church in Pontiac, extended quotation is made from a paper
entitled "Reminiscences of the Pontiac Methodist Episcopal Church,"
by Mrs. Mary Donelson Shattuck, a veteran member of the Pontiac
church and one of the best beloved women in the church, or indeed, in
the city. She has lived a life of devotion to the cause of the church and
has been a potent factor in all the good works for which the church
has ever stood in its history in Pontiac, and none is better able than