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.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

413

tees were again elected to fill vacancies and a building committee appointed. In I855 the society purchased the Christian church edifice
and completed it, which they occupy to the present day. It affords three
hundred sittings and is valued at something like three thousand dollars.
Zena Coleman was the first pastor and served from June, 1855, to I857.
He has been succeeded in the pastorate as follows: Elder E. Steele,
I857-59; Martin Coleman, 1859-61 (died in November, I86I); Elder
Snyder, supply from November, I86I, to September 4, I862; Elder
King, 1862, until he entered Civil war service, and again on his return
therefrom in 1865. During Mr. King's absence the society had no
pastor. Mr. King resigned October I, I866, and was succeeded by Rev.
E. Tenney, who supplied the pulpit from January i, 1867, to December,
I868; Rev. D. Gostellow, 1868-69; Silas Finn, February I, 1870, to
July I, 1871; A. M. Swain, October 29, 1871, to February, I874; Rev.
E. D. Daniels, supply from August I8, 1874, to April Io, 1875; R. S.
Chase, to September I, I875, when he was succeeded by Rev. T. S.
Wooden, who served from 1875 to July, I88I; E. Chesney, October,
I88I, to September, 1883; W. H. Miles, July, 1885, to December, 1887;
S. Hendricks, January I, I888, to 1889; John Shephard, May, 1889, to
May, I89o; H. Churchill, August, I890, to October, I891; George M.
Adams, April, 1892, to July, 1894; A. S. Forshee, November, 1894, to
November, I897; L. D. Dunning, November, I897, to December, I898;
H. N. Conrad, December, I898, November, I9OI; D. Q. Barry, April,
I902, to September, I903; C. L. Marriman, December, 1903, to December, I904; Rev. Ferris, October, I904, to August, I906; A. Rose, October, I906, to October, 1908; H. V. Gould, November, I908, to November, Io99; Rev. Wright, February, I9IO, to September, I9IO; Wilson
Whitney, March II, I9II, to the present time. The church has a present membership of one hundred and is enjoying a pleasing state of
prosperity in all its branches.
As early as 1858 a number of places were opened for Methodist services in the Oakland circuit and the pastor of that circuit was requested
to supply preaching for the various points. The size of the circuit, however, prevented the granting of the request. Application was made to
Rev. S. Calkins, presiding elder, who sent Rev. Daniel Birney, from
Canada West, to the new territory as a missionary. He held preaching
services at Mount Vernon, Stony Creek, Hubble's schoolhouse, Rochester,
Ewell's schoolhouse and other points, until the meeting of conference in
T859, at which time these points were formally organized into a separate
circuit, called the Rochester and Stony Creek circuit, and Rev. L. T.
Mitchell appointed in charge. The next year the Stony Creek circuit was
recognized, and Rev. Mitchell was appointed preacher in charge. At
the conference of I86o, a committee was appointed to purchase a parsonage at Stony Creek, which was done accordingly, and eighty-one dollars subscribed for repairs on the building. The entire cost of the building was five hundred dollars. In I86I Rev. Alexander Gee was appointed
in charge, and in 1862 conference united the Stony Creek circuit with
the Utica circuit, but in I863 disunited them. Rev. James R. Noble and
Rev. Francis W. Berry were the pastors of the united circuit. In 1863
Rochester was made one of the regular appointments of the Stony Creek