ever, at the time of his location he was already past fifty, with a family about him, and doubtless his motive was to secure a home for these loved ones, which continuance in the work at that time would make difficult, if not impossible. Some years afterward he was re-admitted to the Conference and did many years of faithful service on the frontier.
   He was married to Miss Sarah Schoonmaker, January 1, 1833, who died in 1862, leaving three daughters. Four others preceded her to the heavenly world.
   Father Gage passed to his reward, November 20, 1885, and his brethren in the Conference place in their Minutes this tribute to their fallen brother: "He was a minister of good preaching ability, and very successful in every department of Church work. He now rests in peace, and his works do follow him."
   The charge to which W. D. Gage was assigned October, 1854, was Nebraska City Mission, making that the first place to be recognized in the list of appointments. It included at the first all the settlements extending north along the river as far as Rock Bluffs. It was doubtless on this charge, in what was known as the Morris neighborhood, that the first Methodist class in Nebraska was formed, as early as March, 1855, and the first Sunday-school organized a month or two later.
   This settlement is worthy of special mention as being probably the first distinctively Methodist settlement coming into the Territory. As early as 1853 there came into the section a few miles southwest of Rock Bluffs, W. H. Davis, together with Milton Morris, Abram Towner, Mr. Acketyer, Thomas Ashley, and six other heads of families, all members of the Methodist Church, except

Mr. Ashley (and he was converted at the second camp meeting held in Nebraska, and in this same neighborhood, in August, 1857). This visit was made prior to the treaty by which the government obtained control of the land, which was not made until the following March, and did not take effect till June 24, 1854. But these enterprising Methodists did not wait for the government, but made a private treaty with the Otoe Indians, by which in consideration of the payment of ten dollars each to the Indians, and a promise to defend them in case the Otoes were attacked by their dreaded and powerful enemies, the Sioux, they were permitted to stake out their claims, which they at once proceeded to do. This arrangement was so highly satisfactory to the Indians that they made a great feast in honor of these pale-faced friends that for the sake of a few acres of their land agreed to pay them some money, but especially to help them in their contest with their foes. They even examined the white man's teeth to see that everything was right.
   After completing these preliminary arrangements, Mr. Davis and his party returned to their homes to spend the winter, and came back to Nebraska the following year with their families, and formed a permanent settlement some two or three miles southwest of old Rock Bluffs.
   These were all men of intelligence and Christian character, with families of like character. Indeed some of them were of superior intelligence, and all characterized by an earnest type of piety. Father Davis was a man of culture and manly Christian character; Milton Morris, the religious leader, and his wife, were of superior intelligence and force of character. Previous to coming to Nebraska they had served as missionaries to the Sac

THESE WERE ALL AMONG THE FIRST MEMBERS OF THE

MARTIN, WHO JOINED THE CLASS IN APRIL, 1855

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and Fox tribes of Indians, and he was at the time of his coming to Nebraska an ordained local elder. Abram Towner was also a local preacher, and the first sermon ever preached in Cass County was delivered by him at the house of Thos. B. Ashley, in October, 1854.
   Just when this company of earnest Methodists began to hold religious services, and organize themselves into a religious body, is not certainly known, but we may be sure that it was not long after they arrived on the ground, which was in the spring of 1854. With a positive spiritual experience such as they evidently possessed, they would not long, "neglect the assembling of themselves" in religious worship, and Mrs. Spurlock, daughter of W. H. Davis, informs me that they at once began to hold prayer and class meeting, and an occasional preaching service in the cabins of the settlers, before even a schoolhouse could be erected. The exact date of their organization into a class can not be ascertained. Rev. Elza Martin, an ordained local preacher still living in the neighborhood of Falls City, informs me in a letter that when he moved into the settlement in April, 1855, he found the class already organized, and thinks the organization was effected at the quarterly-meeting held by Dr. Goode at the cabin of Father Morris, the preceding March and referred to in his "Outposts of Zion." This would make it the first class organized in the Territory. But it seems more likely that Dr. Goode would have mentioned the fact had he at that time organized the class. Indeed, when we remember that those first settlers in the Morris neighborhood were nearly all members of the Methodist Church when they came there in 1854, making in all not less than twenty, it is highly improbable that with two

such zealous and experienced local preachers as Father Morris and Abram Towner, that they would remain long without an organization. Besides W. D. Gage was appointed as we have seen, as early as October, 1854, to Nebraska City Mission, which included all the settlements as far north as Rock Bluffs, and as they thus early had a zealous pastor, it is well-nigh certain that this first class was organized some time in 1854. At all events, there can be no doubt that this Morris class was the first one formed in the territory.
   If the class in the Morris settlement was organized as early as in 1854, which is probable, the class at Nebraska City, though the head of the mission, was not organized until in April, 1855, and was probably the second organization effected in the territory.
   Happily we are not without authentic information in regard to this date. John Hamlin* was the first class leader, steward, trustee, and Sunday-school superintendent, and had the contract for building the first church building in Nebraska. His daughter, now Mrs. Melvina Brown, of Omaha, was a member of this first class, and to her I am chiefly indebted for these facts. The other members of this first class were Isabella Hamlin, the wife of John Hamlin; Rev. W. D. Gage and wife, Rev. J. T. Cannon and wife, and Rowina Craig. The organization took place in a little frame shanty, twelve by twelve feet in dimension, opposite where the Grand Central Hotel now stands. Rev. J. W. Taylor, who a few months after this succeeded Brother Gage as pastor, informs me that he organized the first Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school in Nebraska City.

   In the fall of 1855 Hiram Burch was appointed to Brownville, but J. W. Taylor, who had been appointed to Nebraska City, proposed to the presiding elder that he and Brother Burch exchange places, which was effected, and Brother Burch became Brother Gage's successor.
   The society was yet quite feeble in numbers, not to exceed sixteen, and none of these with much financial strength. But they had already begun to plan for a church building. As was often the case in those early days, the initial steps had been taken some time before by an outsider. Major Downs, who at the time of Dr. Goode's first visit to the Nebraska City in July, 1854, had donated two lots in the town site he had laid out on the abandoned ground where old Fort Kearney had been, for a Methodist church. This doubtless ranks as the first donation of any kind toward the erection of a church in Nebraska, except perhaps for mission churches for the Indians. While subsequent development in the building of the town made these lots less eligible in location for a church, they were quite valuable, and were readily exchanged for those on which the church was then erected, and on which the present edifice stands.
   If the first contribution for the first Methodist church erected in Nebraska was made by a non-church member, the subsequent success of the enterprise depended largely on the generosity of another outsider, S. F. Nuckells, a banker, who generously gave one-fourth of the entire cost while the building was in progress, amounting to $1,125, and at the dedication gave $200 more.
   These two cases are thus mentioned as typical of what took place very often in those early days, and even before the days of Church Extension help, made it possible for

little, struggling societies to secure places of worship. It indicates the fact that these worldly wise business men had come to place a high value on the Church as a great power for good in determining the character of the civilization that should prevail in the State. Thus it often happened that a large percentage of the means needed for the erection of the first churches came from these enterprising non-Christian business men, and in not a few cases, more than half the sum needed came from that source. Even in a place like O'Neil, Nebraska, where a large percentage of the population is Roman Catholic, Rev. B. Blain, who built our church at that place, says there was more money contributed by the Catholics for the building of the first Methodist church at that place than the Methodists themselves were able to give, there being but a handful of them, and they very poor. The mention of these facts is not intended to discredit the giving of the members themselves, which was doubtless in many of these cases, if not in all, far more in proportion to their ability than that of the non-Church members, and from higher motives, and at greater sacrifice.
   While Brother Gage had already secured a subscription of $2,400, and had let the contract to John Hamlin for a brick church, forty by sixty feet, before leaving the charge, and probably immediately after the organization of the Church, the successful prosecution of the work was chiefly due to his successor, Rev. H. Burch, who reached Nebraska City, November 29, 1855. He at once addressed himself to the task of completing the projected church building. The walls had been completed to the square, half the subscription had been collected and paid to the contractor, and no more subscriptions were due