History of Saginaw County, Michigan; historical, commercial, biographical, profusely illustrated with portraits of early pioneers, rare pictures and scenes of olden times, and portraits of representative citizens of today, [Vol. 2]

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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY

In 1918 the township officers were: F. Leidlein, supervisor; John L.
Irish, clerk; Chas. Girmus, treasurer, and L. Nerreter, highway commissioner.
The Churches
The first church in Bridgeport Township was organized in 1844 by Reverend Brackett, a Wesleyan Methodist. J. B. Garland was leader, and the
members were: Daniel Ellis and wife, Mrs. Eleazer Miller, Peter Leasia,
Alonzo Crosby and wife and a few others. Mr. Payne was a local minister
and worked about three years at this place clearing land for the settlers and
other labor incident to life in a new country, and preached on Sunday. He
went to Lower Saginaw (Bay City) in 1852.
Elder Jason Steele came here in 1850 and during his ministrations a
frame school was used for holding divine services. He was followed in 1853
by Elder I. Andrews and others until 1857, when Reverend Curtis Mosher
came to East Saginaw, and extended his labors to Bridgeport village. He
was a successful revivalist and many were converted, a Methodist Episcopal
class being organized, including nearly all of the original Wesleyan class.
In 1860 the Reverend Mosher was succeeded by the Reverend Brown and he
by Reverend H. O. Parker. In 1865 there were two classes, one being at the
village, presided over by D. F. Foster, and the other in the southern portion
of the township, with J. B. Garland as leader. But dissensions soon arose between the leaders, was carried to the members, and the classes broken up.
About this time Reverend B. W. Zinney, a local preacher, illiterate, but
an earnest, zealous worker and a mason by trade, organized a class of the
Methodist Protestant sect, with eighteen members, some of the old M. E.
class joining it. The building of a church edifice had begun to be agitated,
and it was proposed that the Methodist Protestants should furnish half of
the money needed, and the Methodist Episcopalians the other half. The
Protestants were to have the use of the building for preaching once each
Sunday, and to use it such evenings as the M. E. class might designate, the
church edifice to be the latter's property. The Methodist Protestants of
course rejected this proposition, and the conference ended. The leader of the
M. E. class then tried to interest the Methodists of Saginaw City in the building project, but received no aid, but was advised to consult the members of
the Congregational Society. He did so and raised four or five hundred dollars,
the first church of the Congregational faith being the final result of his
labors. Professor Estabrook was the first visiting pastor.
In 1866 the Peoples' Church was organized, with material aid from
another society which had free use of the church edifice whenever wanted,
but other denominations could use it only when their appointments did not
conflict with the work of the others. Elder T. H. Beamish was pastor of this
church in 1869, but two years later an Englishman, Reverend W. H. Bakewell, was sent to minister to the people. The results of his labors were very
meager, and in 1873 Reverend James Riley came to Bridgeport in the hope
of reorganizing the class. He did not succeed but later in the southern part of
the township his labors met with great reward.
The Methodists of Bridgeport village attended the Congregational
Church in 1878, but in the following year there was no preacher of the latter
church. Rev. E. E. Caster, of East Saginaw, preached every alternate Sunday at two o'clock in the afternoon, but later the Reverend Edwin Foster
was sent to look after the flock. He found a very discouraging state of affairs
-no class, no members to receive him, no foothold of any kind. Nothing
daunted he bought a house and lot in the village, giving his horse for the first