Elisha Scott
|--------Benjamin SCOTT (1735, Virginia - 1790, Virginia)
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|---------Alexander SCOTT (1762, VA - 1844, Indiana)
| |
| |--------Mary DALE ( - )
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|------Alexander SCOTT (1792, Kentucky - 1878, Indiana)
| |
| | |--------John BOYD ( - )
| | |
| |---------Sarah BOYD (1760, VA - 1840)
| |
| |--------
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Elisha SCOTT (1822, Indiana - 1862, Iowa)
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| |--------John WATTS (1731, Ireland - )
| |
| |---------William WATT (1760, Scotland - 1839, Ohio)
| | |
| | |--------Jane (1728, Ireland - )
| |
|------Unity R. WATT (1800, North Carolina - 1878, Indiana)
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| |--------
| |
|---------Rebecca (1772, Virginia - 1852, Indiana)
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|--------
Elisha was a minister in the Christian Church (or Disciples of Christ), starting in Indiana before his marriage. He was a very active preacher in the Stone-Campbell Reformation movement. An early Christian Church periodical, The Christian Record has several mentions of Elisha, including letters written by him describing the growth of various congregations.
After his marriage, Elisha Scott continued preaching at various points in Indiana for about five years. He was primarily based in Newtown, Fountain Co., Indiana from roughly 1853-57, but he travelled around to other communities, helping found and build the congregations, and holding lengthy ``meetings'' (which were typically several days long and I believe could also be known as ``camp meetings'' or revivals of some sort). He also was active in district church meetings and Indiana State church meetings in 1853 and 1854 (that I know of).
Clark's Prairie Congregation of Tippecanoe county, paid for a life membership for Elisha Scott in the Christian Church (perhaps a missionary society, it isn't clear what he was becoming a member of).
In late 1857 (after September, but arriving by the end of December) the family came to Iowa and settled near South English. From here he traveled on horseback and did much to establish the cause of primitive Christianity in the area.
Elisha Scott, a church Elder, along with W.J. Springer, was the founder of the White Pigeon Christian Church in about 1859. Elisha also helped establish the Sigourney, North English, and Millersburg Christian (Disciples of Christ) churches. Elisha was the second preacher at North English. The North English church was organized in 1856. The White Pigeon church closed in 1944. According to Elisha's son Avesta, the cornerstone of the North English church holds (held?) documents and papers of the history of the church, which were treasured possessions of the Scott family.
Elisha also worked for the Disciples of Christ church on the statewide level. In 1861 ``E. Scott, South English'' was recorded as one of the preachers at the state convention. He is named as the representative of North English according to documents in the North English church history. I'm pretty sure it must have been the same state convention since the (undated) North English document refers to the convention in Mt. Pleasant and the 1861 convention was the only one in Mt. Pleasant while Elisha was living in Iowa. The discrepancy can be easily explained since South English would have been Elisha's address at the time.
Elisha's hard work on behalf of the church must have gained him much respect among his community in Iowa. His son Elisha Challen Scott, writing in Elisha's wife Ruth's obituary describes the father Elisha's funeral as follows: At the funeral before leaving the house the brethren assured the widow that she should not lose her home, that they would see that the payments on it were made which they did. When the procession went on its way to the burial, the first of the teams were at the top of the hill two miles away before the last left the house. There were in this procession no automobiles, no carriages, no spring wagons, and it is doubtful if there was even a spring seat and there was at least one ox team.
Elisha, Ruth, and their daughters Ida and Ada are buried together in Plot 8-4 of South English Cemetery. Also with them is their grandson, Lancie Scott.
Here are some of the letters of Elisha which appeared in the Christian Record:
Since Elisha was a preacher, we are lucky to have one sermon of his on the subject of prayer which was also published in the Christian Record. Here are a few paragraphs from a several page essay:
No subject is of more importance to the Christian, than the subject of
prayer. It is plainly taught throughout the bible, not only as a duty,
but as a high privilege. Though God is so far above man, though he
created the heavens and the earth, and all things therein, and gives
every blessing we enjoy; yet he has made it the privilege of poor,
weak, mortal man to approach him in prayer.
How my soul chills to hear individuals appeal to philosophy
(falsely so called) against prayer. Saying that prayer will not change
the mind of the Deity, and that prayer only affects those that hear
it. Our prayer does not change the mind of God, it is his will to
bestow all his blessings on conditions, and when we comply with those
conditions the Lord grants the blessing. His mind does not change, for
it was his mind before to bestow the blessing on those conditions, but
we change and come to his will. Now prayer is one of the conditions,
upon which blessings are promised.
We must work for the object for which we pray. Though we should pray
morning and evening, for the poor and needy, if we shut up our bowels
of compassion against the poor that are around us, our prayers will
not be heard.
Sources for this individual: @S104@ @S105@ @S106@ @S95@ @S27@ @S13@ @S107@ @S1743@