History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

760

HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.

He is said to have been a faithful pastor. He subsequently attended the Wesleyan Theological Seminary, at Albion, where he
was ordained. 'About 1850 he married Mary Abrams, of Mt. Morris,
Genesee Co., Mich. He went to Lower Saginaw in 1852, and a few
years later died at Mt. Morris, where he was buried. His successor (in 1847) was Rev. Isaac Andrews, a good man and faithful
worker. Elder Jason Steele came here in 1850, and stayed until
1852 or '53. He subsequently went to California, where he deserted his chosen profession to fight for infidelity. About this
time (1852 or '53) there was a frame school-house erected at Bridgeport village, and the services were then held in that building.
After Mr. Steele left, the work was supplied by different preachers,
Elder I. Andrews and others, till 1857, when Rev. Curtis Mosher
came to East Saginaw, and extended his labors to Bridgeport village. He was a successful revivalist, and did a good work at all
points where he labored. Many were converted in Bridgeport, and
a Methodist Episcopal class was organized from the new converts,
including the greater portion of the old Wesleyan class. Elder
MIosher worked faithfiully till 1860, when he was succeeded by the
Rev. Brown, and the latter by Rev. H. O. Parker. Elder Gordon,
the next preacher, is said to have been a good worker, and there
were manv additions to the Church under his zealous and well
directed labors. In 1865 Rev. Crane located at Saginaw City, and also
preached in Bridgeport township. The latter was divided in two
classes, one being at the village, presided over by D. F. Foster, and the
other in the south part of the township, with J. B. Garland as leader.
Elder Crane and Mr. Foster did not agree about sundry matters,
sand finally carried the quarrel among the members, breaking up
the class. The following year the conference did not send any
minister to carry on the work.
About this time Rev. B. W. Zinney, a local preacher, and a mason by trade, was working for C. A. Lull, the owner of the Bridgeport Center House. He saw a good clhance to start a class
and immediately went to work, forming a Methodist Protestant
class of 18 members. Rev. Sullivan Clark was President of the
Michigan Conference; B.. Zinney, Superintendent of the Saginaw mission; Rev. A. Bradshaw, local minister, and Charles D.
Pattee, class-leader. Many of the M. E. members joined the
class, but a portion held aloof. Mr. Zinney was an illiterate
man, but an earnest, zealous worker. Mr. Bradshaw had formerly
been an able preacher in Canada, b)ut had located in Bridgeport
township in his old age.
In the fall of 1867 1Rev. John T. Husted was sent as superintendent. lie was a young man of very good ability, and had just
been married. Before he came, the building of a church had begun
to be agitated. Mr. i.. F oster proposed to organize an M. E.
class, and negotiate with the Methodist Protestants about the erection of a church building. After several meetings Mr. Foster presented the plan he intended to adopt, which proposed that the