john samuel prescott, wisconsin

1Death Certificate #11037, Julia Prescott B lake, State of Colorado, Bureau of Vital Statistics, copy in

possession of Beth Davies.

© 2011, Beth Davies AG®. Permission is granted to copy for personal, non-commerical use.

JOHN SAMUEL PRESCOTT HISTORYCHAPTER FOUR

WISCONSIN--THE MINISTRY1846-1857

John Prescott brought his family to Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, in 1846, where he became atraveling minister for the Methodist Church. On Dec. 6, he and Mary's first daughter, Julia, was bornat Sheboygan Falls.1

Perhaps it would be well to begin the story of John's ministry with some background on theministry of the Methodist Church, taken from The Story of American Methodism by Frederick A.Norwood.

"Historically speaking, admission to membership in the annual conference as a travelingpreacher had nothing to do with ordination. None of the early preachers, before 1784, wasordained. The annual conference and distinctive membership therein were firmly established elevenyears before ordination became an identifying factor in the Methodist ministry. The introductionof ordination provided for the sacraments, but it made almost no difference in the nature of theministry. From that day to this, the really important factor in definition of the Methodist ministerhas been membership in an annual conference, not ordination.

Ecclesiastical confirmation of the divine call to ministry was the point of coincidence of authorityand freedom. That is, admission to the annual conference placed the preacher in that select bodywho possessed the entire power in the church. The whole body of elders (at first in multiple sessionsof the annual conference, after 1792 in general conference, after 1808 in delegation) possessed theultimate authority; But: no person has ever entered the ministry of The United Methodist Churchor any of its antecedents except by the will of the people. He or she must first be raised up by themembers gathered in quarterly conference. The steps, then would follow: member, class leader,exhorter, local preacher, traveling preacher on trial, traveling deacon, finally traveling elder.

The term traveling preacher is both formal and descriptive. The heart was the itineracy. ...Whatthey meant by itineracy was that plan of appointments by which ministers were kept movingtwice-over. In the first place, each man had his appointment for a strictly limited time. ....then(1804) a two-year limit was established with the understanding that an annual change wasnormal...In the second place, every preacher kept on the move on his circuit, and this was true evenof ministers appointed to city stations, for they had several outpoints. Thus the itinerant system wentround and round, like a little hoop (the circuit) always turning around on a larger hoop (the annualconference), which itself was always in motion. In this way, some preachers were appointed tocircuits in which they preached perhaps four times (once each quarter) in each of many preachingpoints, and then went off to the annual conference for appointment to a different circuit. Fourpowerful sermons, ringing the changes from conviction of sin all the way to perfect love, would take

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2Frederick A. Norwood, The Story of American Methodism (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1974), 136-

137,140. Used by permission. All rights reserved.3Rev. P. S. Bennett and Rev. James Lawson, History of Methodism in Wisconsin (Cincinnati, Ohio :

Cranston & Stowe, 1890), 96-97.4History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 101.5Record of Pastors, St. Luke United Methodist Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Received by

correspondence from St. Luke, August 1984 .


care of an entire year's preaching!

Wherever these traveling preachers served, once each year they enjoyed the rare pleasure ofgathering together in the annual conference....A few men, brought together over rough roads andtrails from great distances, men who had not seen one another, or perhaps any fellow minister, fora year, now joined in singing hymns they all knew, praying and worshiping together in someordinary house or perchance a small chapel. It was a rare time indeed! . . . At the end of the annualconference, in a final dramatic moment, the bishop read off the appointments of the preachers forthe next year. Many, until this moment, had no idea where they would be serving."2 (pg. 136-7, 140).

John Prescott left many records of his years as a preacher, though records for the rest of his familyare almost non-existent. Of his beginnings, History of Methodism in Wisconsin says:

"The pastoral charges in Green Bay District--twelve in number--remain the same as last year,with a single exception; viz, Manitowoc is dropped and Waupun is added. Five new men are in thelist of appointments in the district, viz.: R. P. Lawton, at Green Bay; J. S. Prescott, at Sheboygan;A. B. Randall, at Green Lake, A. P. Allen, at Waupan; and N. S. Green, at Az. . . . .They had all justbeen received as probationers by the Conference, and so far as appears, all did the work assignedthem creditably. Three of the appointments were filled with two preachers each. Some of the otherscovered territory enough to employ more ministerial labor, but neither men nor means wereadequate to the demand.

Sheboygan is worthy of special notice in this respect. It included the entire county--a denseforest, dotted here and there with settlements. Its pastor, J. S. Prescott, was a man of great energyand commensurate physical endurance, as the reader may infer when told that he traveled thatimmense circuit entirely on foot. This gave an earnest that he would be heard from in comingyears--as he was."3

In 1847 nearly all the preachers were changed. John was one of the few that remained in thesame place the second year.4 The Record of Pastors for St. Luke United Methodist Church inSheboygan shows he served from Sept. 1846 to Sept. 1847 there.5 He would have had no buildingto preach in though, for in 1847,

"At Brothertown, H. Requa succeeded in the erection of a framed church edifice, in place of a logbuilding previously used as a place of public worship. This and those at Green Bay and Oneida

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6History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 102.7History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 106.8References to John S. Prescott from the Conference Yearbooks, received by correspondence November

1984 from M ary Schroeder, Archivist, Wisconsin Conference, United Methodist Archives, Sun Prairie, WI.9Frederick A. Norwood, The Story of American Methodism (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1974), 136-

140-141. Used by permission. All rights reserved. William Milburn is quoted in this book from William Milburn,

Ten Years of Preacher-Life (1859), 79-80.10References to John S. Prescott from the Conference Yearbooks, received by correspondence November

1984 from M ary Schroeder, Archivist, Wisconsin Conference, United Methodist Archives, Sun Prairie, WI.


were the only ones in the entire district at the close of this year. Nor were there many of any otherdenomination....The era of church-building had not arrived. The people were poor, and could onlywith difficulty build houses for themselves."6

In 1848, John was the pastor at Waupun in the Fond du Lac district.7 Conference Yearbooksshow that at that year's conference he was ordained a Deacon, gave a prayer at the conclusion of oneday's meetings, and was elected to the visiting committee for Lawrence University.8

The following description of the annual conference, taken from The Story of American Methodism,tells us what these days were like:

“At the end of the annual conference, in a final dramatic moment, the bishop read off theappointments of the preachers for the next year. Many, until this moment, had no idea where theywould be sent. A preacher like William Milburn would never forget the experience:

“"The last scene of the conference is one peculiarly touching and solemn. A hundred men, manyof them married, have surrendered their right of choice, and placed their lives and fortunes, underGod, at the disposal of a single man--the bishop. He, with the wisdom of an overseer, with thesimplicity and sincerity that spring from the abiding consciousness that his motives and decisionsare ever in the great Taskmaster's eye, and with all a father's tenderness for the preachers and thepeople entrusted to him--he has considered the claims of the men and of the work, and is now to readthe weighty decision. At his word they are to go forth to their fields of duty and of danger, acceptinghis arbitrament as the interpretation of providence. Wither they are to go they know not, nor whatshall betide them....The prayer has been offered which commends them and their families to God andto the word of his grace, which is able to build them up and to give them "an inheritance among allthem which are sanctified;" and in the midst of a profound silence the bishop reads out theappointments. A new year has begun, the week's holiday is over. Hands are shaken, farewell issaid, and ere an hour has passed most of the men are on the road to their new posts."”9

In 1849, John was appointed to the Green Bay mission. This year's conference records show hewas appointed to the Board of Stewards, to the committee on necessitous cases, and again to thevisiting committee to Lawrence University. 10

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11History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 120.12History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 486.13History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 137.14Rev. W. G. M iller, Thirty Years in the Itinerancy (Milwaukee: I. L. Hauser & Co., 1875), 158.


Lawrence University, a Methodist college, was located in Appleton, Wisconsin. An 1850 reporton the college gives an idea of what it was like at that time.

"Here it may be stated that the charter of Lawrence University required the annual election of ninevisitors from the Conference, who, with the trustees, should constitute a "Joint Board," for thetransaction of all business pertaining to the said university. The visitors appointed at the precedingConference made a very encouraging report at this. Though the school had not been in operationa year, and was literally located in the woods, accessible only by bad roads that can hardly beconceived of by many of my readers, it was found that there had been in attendance l05 students--thehighest number at one time being 80. The Committee on Education gave it a hearty commendation,and the Conference as heartily pledged co-operation in promoting its interests." 11

John continued his work for Lawrence University until at least 1856. He was an agent for theschool from 1853-1856.12 The 1853 conference noted,

"The Committee say further: "In addition to the above, the foreign agent, since the meeting of thejoint board, has obtained $2,200; President Cook has secured a library and additional apparatusworth about $1,000, which, when added to the former ones on hand, with the cabinet and apparatusare valued at $3,000, making the whole property of the university worth at least $77,000." In thissum were included the estimated value of the college grounds and of building material on hand. Itseemed, therefore, but reasonable that they should say: "Never in the history of this risinginstitution have its prospects been so flattering as at present." They recommended, and theconference concurred in, the appointment of J. S. Prescott as foreign agent, H. Requa as Indianscholarship, and A. B. Randall and Asa Wood as general scholarship agents. The following resolution, adopted by the Conference, showed still further its interest in the causeof education: "Resolved, That each preacher in charge of a circuit or station, shall preach, or cause to bepreached, at least once a year, a sermon on education at each principal appointment.""13

The Rev. W. G. Miller in Thirty Years in the Itinerancy says about Lawrence University,

"Rev. Dr. Edward Cooke was installed President of the University June 29, 1853. At the same timethe corner stone of the College building was laid by Hon. M. C. Darling, Rev. Alfred Bronson, D.D., delivering the address. The edifice, a substantial stone structure, one hundred and twenty bysixty feet, and five stories high, was pushed forward to an early completion by the untiring energyof the agents, Rev. J. S. Prescott and Col. H. L. Blood. For college purposes the building rankedamong the first in the West."14

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15Jno. S. Prescott household, 1860 U.S. Census, Dickinson County, Iowa population schedule, Okoboji

Township, p. 14, dwelling 128, family 74, Hellen, age 11, born W isconsin.16John S. Driggs household, 1850 U.S. Census, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin population schedule, Town

of Fond du Lac Dist. No. 9, p. 516, dwelling 199, family 199.17Maria Morrow household, 1850 U.S. Census, Brown County,Wisconsin popuation schedule, District No.

12 Green Bay, p. 37, dwelling197, family 214.18Wm. Beard household, 1850 U.S. Census, Muscatine County, Iowa population schedule, Cedar Township,

p. 377 (stamped), dwelling 2, family 2.19Greene County, Ohio, Deed Records Vol. 27:2, FHL Microfilm 465,357.20History of Fond du Lac County ( Chicago, Illinois : Western Historical Co., 1880), 622-623.21History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 137.22History of Fond du Lac County, 341.


In about 1849, another daughter, Helen, was born to John and Mary.15 When the 1850 Censuswas taken, the family was scattered for some reason. John was listed with the family of John S.Driggs at Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin.16 Louisa Prescott, age 9, was in Green Bay,Brown County, Wisconsin with the family of a Maria Morrow.17 William, age 6, was in MuscatineCounty, Iowa, with his grandmother, Elizabeth Townsley.18 Mary and her two daughters, Julia andHelen have not been located in this census. A land record from Ohio shows that John and Marywere living in Green Bay in October of 1850.19 Perhaps John left his family there when he firstwas moved to Fond du Lac. He served as minister for the town of Fond du Lac from 1850-1852.20

History of Methodism in Wisconsin for the year 1852 states:

"J. S. Prescott, who had been stationed in Fond du Lac the previous year, was a man of greatenergy, and by his indomitable zeal he had succeeded in securing the erection of two church edificesin that growing town. They were distant from each other about a mile and a half, and thusaccommodated people in different extremes of the city." 21

A history of Fond du Lac County tells more of the building of these churches:

"In 1847, Rev. H.R. Colman became pastor (of the Fond du Lac circuit), and it was during hisministry that the first step was taken toward the erection of a house of worship. Rev. Colmanremained one year but on account of ill health was forced to resign at the end of that time. Hissalary for the two years' service was but $400 and he contributed one-fourth of this amount towardthe building of the new church. Rev. Henry Requa became pastor in 1849 and remained but oneyear, being succeeded by Rev. J. S. Prescott, during whose service the church was completed. Thisbuilding was located on Marr and Third streets, and a mission church, known as the Cotton Streetchurch, was also erected on Arndt street. The Marr street church was dedicated in 1852 by BishopAmes. At this time the circuit was divided and Fond du Lac became a separate charge, Rev. EzraTucker becoming the first pastor."22

Concerning the Cotton Street church it says:

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23History of Fond du Lac County, 342.24Miller, Thirty Years in the Itinerancy, 131.


"In 1850, there being some funds left after the erection of the church on the corner of Marr andThird streets, and as there were a number of Methodist people living in what was known as LowerTown, a small mission or chapel was erected on Arndt street....The original intention of the Marrstreet Methodist seems to have been merely to furnish those of their faith living in Lower Town witha place for holding class meetings and Sunday school, rather than for regular services of apermanent organization, as this section of the city was growing very rapidly, owing to the fact thatthe principal mills and factories were there located. The first step taken toward the erection of thischurch on Arndt street was at a meeting of the officers of the Marr street church, held at theresidence of J.J. Driggs, July 15, 1850, the meeting being presided over by Rev. J. S. Prescott. [Note:John Prescott is listed with the family of John Driggs in the 1850 U.S. Census.] This building wascompleted and dedicated in October, 1852, the service being in charge of Rev. W. G. Miller. Aboutthis time the conference was in session in the church on Marr street and Rev. M. Himebaugh wasappointed as its first pastor." 23

The Rev. W. G. Miller writes of this period of John's life:

"Rev. J. S. Prescott, the Pastor at Fond du lac, had been bred to the legal profession in theState of Ohio. He came to Wisconsin as a Local Preacher, and joined the Conference in l846. Hehad been stationed at Sheboygan, Waupun, and Green Bay. he was a man of sharp, decisivemovements, sometimes angular in his opinions and measures, but full of energy and not afraid ofhard work. He kept no horse, even when on the largest circuits, as he could not afford to wait forso laggard a conveyance. In this particular he became notorious, and marvelous stories are relatedof his pedestrian abilities. It is affirmed that, on one occasion, in going to the Conference, hewalked from Waupun to Platteville, and reached his destination in advance of the long line ofministerial buggies that were headed in that direction. Carrying the same energy into everyDepartment of his work, he always left his "footprint" behind him. But his most devoted friendswould sometimes question the wisdom of his measures. Even in the small village of Fond du lac, hehad now two churches in process of erection. But such was his skill in raising funds at home andabroad that one of them was dedicated by Bishop Ames at the close of the year and the other by thewriter in the year following.

Subsequently he served for several years as Agent of Lawrence University, and then enteredupon the project of founding an Institution of learning at Point Bluff. The selection of a location,however, was unfortunate, and his expectations were only partially realized. After this disaster headdressed himself to business pursuits."24

During the Fond du Lac years, John and Mary had two more children born: Alice, born 4 Oct.

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25Alice P . Brinkman Passport Application, Emergency Passport Applications, 1877-1907 (M1834), U.S.

Passport Applications, 1795-1925 (database on-line with digital images of applications), www.ancestry.com.26Jno. S. Prescott household, 1860 U.S. Census, Dickinson County, Iowa population schedule, Okoboji

Township, p. 14, dwelling 128, family 74, Chas. W., age 7.27References to John S. Prescott from the Conference Yearbooks, received by correspondence November

1984 from M ary Schroeder, Archivist, Wisconsin Conference, United Methodist Archives, Sun Prairie, WI.28J. S. Prescott, Wisconsin 1855 State Census, Outagamie County, Village of Appleton, M icrofilm

1,032,688, Brigham Young University (BYU), Provo, Utah.June 15, 201129Abstract of Title, Lots 6 &7, S.14.T.15 R. 5 E., received by correspondence, 1984, from Edgar G. Eppler.

owner (in 1984) of these lots.30Thomas H. Ryan, editor, History of Outagamie County, Wisconsin (Chicago: Goodspeed Historical

Association, 1911), 542. 31References to John S. Prescott from the Conference Yearbooks, received by correspondence November

1984 from M ary Schroeder, Archivist, Wisconsin Conference, United Methodist Archives, Sun Prairie, WI.


185125 and Charles about 1853.26

Methodist yearbooks show that in 1854 John was appointed Agent for Lawrence University, waschairman of the Committee on the Tract Cause and on the Committee on Education. In 1855 he wason the Committee on Temperance and Committee on Missions, an Agent for Lawrence University,and sponsored a Conference Resolution.27 The 1855 state census for Wisconsin shows that John andhis family were living in Appleton, home of Lawrence University.28 On Oct. 11, 1855 John S.Prescott, Elmore Yocum, and Matthew bought land together in Point Bluff, Wisconsin.29

A brief note in an Outagamie County history gives a glimpse into John’s personality:

“In May, 1856, J. S. Prescott and Rev. W. H. Sampson were engaged in a spirited controversy inthe columns of the Northwestern Christian Advocate concerning the business methods of theLawrence Universtiy. In their discussion these reverend gentlemen used extremely plain language.The Chrescent said: “As both are ultra-abolitionists, the public will feel relieved. Such abolitionistsmust be forever quarrelling about something, so it is better for the people of the community that theyshould amuse the crowd by making mouths at each other.”“30

In 1856, He was transferred to the West Wisconsin Conference where he was appointed "Agentfor the Foster Institute, and member of the Pt. Bluff Quarterly Conference".31

The History of Methodism in Wisconsin says:

"The West Wisconsin Conference was organized by the General Conference of 1856. The wholeof Wisconsin, as well as Minnesota, had been for eight years prior to this in the WisconsinConference. This Conference had become somewhat unwieldy, there being over two hundredmembers in it. To attend Conference the preachers had to travel, on an average, over two hundredmiles to and from the seat of Conference, thereby incurring a heavy expense, as well as a loss ofvaluable time. There existed at that time little railroad facilities, so most of the traveling had to be

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32History of Methodism in Wisconsin, 330,342.33“Institute Dates Back to 1856", Historic Dells Country , Vol. 1, No. 1, June 4, 1982, p. 7.


done on horseback, in a buggy, or in the old-fashioned stage. The largeness of the numbers attending Conference also made it quite difficult to entertain it, andit became somewhat of a burden upon the people. Very wisely, therefore, the territory was dividedinto three Conferences--the Wisconsin, West Wisconsin, and Minnesota. . . . At this session there were transferred to the Conference J. W. Miller, J. S. Prescott, M. Bennett,J. Trotter, and Jas. Lawson. . . ."32

Historic Dells Country gives the following history of the Foster Institute (or Point BluffAcademy):

"In 1856, A. Bronson, a wealthy resident of Prairie du Chien, endowed the national MethodistConference, an institute of higher education for men and women with money for a new school. PointBluff, a small village located on the Wisconsin River about 14 miles north of Kilbourn City, wasselected as the site.

For several years everything prospered and the school was full. Fine homes were built in the area,and the future of Point Bluff and of the institute seemed assured. But when the railroad crossing wasbuilt at Kilbourn City, the village began to decay. Many people moved from Point Bluff and theschool ceased to be profitable, and had to be closed in 1865. Following the school's closing a group of Methodists in Kilbourn City secured a charter, andincorporated the name Kilbourn City Seminary as part of a plan to move the school from Point Bluffto Kilbourn City. . . . The new school which became known as the Kilbourn Institute opened in the fall of 1866 . . . . About 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30, 1868, while the dedicatory services were being held in the newMethodist Episcopal Church, the congregation was startled to hear that their institute was on fire.The building being some distance off, and the fire so far advanced, it was impossible to save it." 33

The following is from a letter from Edgar G. Eppler, Secretary-Treasurer, Adams CountyHistorical Society:

". . . .I have an interest in the history of Point Bluff and the Point Bluff Academy because thatschool was located on land that I presently own. I live only a few hundred feet from the site wherethe school once stood. You will not find the town of Point Bluff listed on any current maps. TheTown was located where Highway 82 crosses the Wisconsin River. The academy operated during the period of the Civil War and shortly after that it was dismantledand moved down near Kilbourn, the city presently know as Wisconsin Dells. At that time a railroadwas being built which crossed the river at Kilbourn. Several towns were abandoned at that timesince everyone wanted to be closer to the railroad. The reconstructed academy building burned a short time after it was moved to Kilbourn. Another

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34Correspondence received 1984 from Edgar G. Eppler, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, in possession of Beth

Davies.35Frederick A. Norwood, The Story of American Methodism (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1974), 135.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.36References to John S. Prescott from the Conference Yearbooks, received by correspondence November

1984 from M ary Schroeder, Archivist, Wisconsin Conference, United Methodist Archives, Sun Prairie, WI.37Death Certificate, Clarence Harris Prescott, State of Idaho Board of Health, FHL Microfilm 1,530, 729.


building was constructed on the same site. The picture people believe to be of the academy must bethat of the structure rebuilt after the fire. There are other buildings in the area shown in the pictureso that photograph must have been taken much later than 1866. The building shown in the picturewas being used as a sanitarium and it burned down around 1940. . . .

I have been studying the abstract for our land and I believe the following information to becorrect: John S. Prescott was one of the men responsible for the founding of the town of Point Bluff. Theoriginal land was purchased from the United States by Cysbert Van Steenwyk in a transactionrecorded October 23, 1854. He then sold the land about a year later to a partnership of 3 men, JohnS. Prescott, Elmore Yocum, and Mathew Bennet. They had the land surveyed for a town and thesurvey was dated January 9, 1856. The land set aside for the academy was know as College Square. In the abstract the academy was originally known as Foster Institute. It was later taken over byAlfred Brunson and called the Brunson Institute. There is no reference to it as the Point BluffAcademy. ....The town was essentially abandoned after the school building was moved down closer to theDells in 1866 when the railroad was being built. There were land transactions involving lots for therest of the century, but most of the lots were just abandoned. By 1902, there was no more interestin any lots and they had all become part of larger parcels as they remain today.

The town of Point Bluff would be shown on Wisconsin maps to the 1890's but not much laterthan that. A Point Bluff Post office must have remained open until 1907 because a neighbor has acancellation stamp from it." 34

The Story of American Methodism says:

"One aspect of the local ministry was negative: an embarrassingly large number of travelingpreachers located. This was a persistent and nagging problem for Asbury and all the bishops. Timeand again able preachers gave up their annual conference membership and located. This usuallymeant that they married and settled on a farm. They did not cease their ministry. They continuedit on a local basis, sometimes quite actively."35

Conference records show that John "located" in 1857.36 In that year he and Mary had another son,Clarence Harris Prescott, born 27 April, 1857.37 John was 48 years old and had a wife and sevenchildren to support.

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38Letter from Mary Schroeder, Wisconsin Conference, United Methodist Archives, Sun Praire, Wisconsin,

dated November 6, 1984, in possession of Beth Davies.39Affidavit of Julia A . Moore, Civil W ar Pension File of William T. Prescott, copy in the possession of Beth

Davies. 40 Columbia Co., Wisconsin Registration of Marriages, Vol. 1, pg. 124. FHL Microfilm 1,275,881.41Josephus M. Moore and Louisa Moore of the County of Clay in the State of Iowa to S. W. Davis et al, 17 th

October, 1869, copy of deed in possession of Beth Davies, received by correspondence from Adams County,

Wisconsin, 1984.


A letter from Mary Schroeder of the Wisconsin Conference United Methodist Archives indicatedthat her Archives has a biographical file of ministers, but there is none for J. S. Prescott. She adds"In making the listing that I did from the various Yearbooks, I found that J. S. Prescott was ordainedDeacon in l848, so I watched for a date when he would have been ordained Elder, but I could notfind that, which makes me think that he did not obtain that ordination."38

John's oldest son, William, attending the Point Bluff Academy.39 Probably his oldest daughter,Louisa, (and maybe others in the family) did too. Louisa apparently remained in Point Bluff whenthe rest of the family left. On the 3rd of Feb. 1860 she married Josephus Moore in nearby KilburnCity.40 They lived in Point Bluff during the Civil War and sold their land there in 1869. 41

john samuel prescott, wisconsin

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