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Title
Date(s)
- 1844 (Creation)
Extent
1-10000
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Administrative history
The Wesleyan Methodist Church of America emerged in response to the Methodist Episcopal Church's support of slavery and its centralized, authoritarian governance. In November 1842, leaders O. Scott, J. Horton, and L. R. Sunderland withdrew from the Methodist Episcopal Church and launched The True Wesleyan, a weekly publication explaining their reasons for separation. In December, Luther Lee and L. C. Matlack also withdrew, marking the formal beginning of the Wesleyan movement. Although earlier separations had occurred—particularly in Michigan, where a conference was established—these events laid the foundation for the official organization. The first church of the new denomination was founded in Providence, Rhode Island. In February 1843, a preliminary convention was held in Andover, Massachusetts, which led to a General Convention in Utica, New York, on May 31, 1843. There, the Wesleyan Methodist Church was officially organized and adopted a governing Discipline. The first General Conference convened in October 1844 to revise this Discipline, followed by a second in October 1848, which produced a more comprehensive and clearly organized version.
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Scope and content
This series comprises records from the Allegheny Conference. They capture the district’s role as a vital regional hub within the wider church. The materials include minutes from district conferences, correspondence between local pastors and district leaders, reports from area churches, pastoral appointments, membership and financial statistics, and policy documents specific to the region.
These records reveal how the district guided and supported local congregations and clergy, implemented denominational policies on a regional level, and fostered church growth and ministry within the community.
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General note
This conference also was one of the six original bodies recognized at the Utica Convention. The first session of the conference was held in Pittsburgh early in September 1843. By 1966, there were 102 churches and 3,636 members. Allegheny had become the second largest conference in the Church in the number of churches, the third largest in membership.
General note
In 1964 the Allegheny Conference amended its corporate charter with the state of Pennsylvania, leaving out any
reference to The Wesleyan Methodist Church of America. This set in motion the long, dreary process of appeal, of ruling, of failure to heed the ruling, of attempted reconciliation, of final denominational determination to deal with the issues at the 1966 General Conference, of the General Conference's refusal to seat the Allegheny delegates and subsequent placing of the conference under discipline. Still there was no reconciliation. Eventually the major portion of the conference organized as The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference), and paid the denomination for all rights to the Stoneboro Campground and the local church buildings where the majority of the members wished to secede from the Church. The schismatic group in 1968 showed ninety-six churches, thirteen pioneer appointments, 3,120 members. In addition, there were several churches which withdrew both from the denomination and from the schismatic part of the conference, and became independent churches. In a few instances, the majority of the congregation wanted to continue with the denomination, and this small number of churches was reorganized as the Allegheny Conference of The Wesleyan Methodist Church of America. The reorganizing session was held at the Sandy Lake church, April 21-23, 1967. By 1968, the statistical report showed seven organized churches and 249 total
membership.
General note
The following is a list of ministers who filled the office of Conference President:
Edward Smith, 1843-46, 1848-49
James W. Walker, 1846-early 1847
Thomas Guy, 1847-48
J. B. Miller, 1849-51, 1853-54
John P. Betker, 1851-53, 1854-56
R. E. Anderson , 1856-61
J. S. Albertson , 1861-65, 1866-67
Thomas Burrows, 1865 - 66 , 1870-72
D . S. Kinney, 1867-70, 1872-Jan . 1875
J. E. Carroll, 1876 - 82
E. J. Hayes , 1882-89
John Case, 1889-91
Peter B. Campbell , 1891 -1914, 1915-22
I. A. Grise, 1914-15
Warren H. Marvin, 1922-31
Albert L. White, 1931-Dec. 1935
J. Robert Swauger, 1935-43
Harold C. Van Wormer, 1943-67
Donald Boyd , 1967-68