Puslinch Township - history - Knox Presbyterian Church Crieff Centennial Celebration 1940

Order of Service

11 a.m.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.

Prayer of Invocation.

Psalm 90: “O Thou My Soul”.

The Scripture Lesson.

Anthem, “Thine O Lord is the Greatness” ─ J. Kent.

Prayer.

Solo ─ Mrs. Reid.

Announcements and Offering.

Offertory Prayer.

Anthem: “What Are These” ─ J. Stainer.

Hymn 603.

Sermon ─ Rev. C. A. Mullen, B.A., of West Flamboro.

Hymn 538.

Benediction.

Reverend J. L. Burgess

The Ministers

Reverend William Meldrum, 1840-1850.

(First Minister of East and West Puslinch)

Reverend Andrew Maclean 1857-1873.

(Pioneer West Puslinch Minister)

Reverend Neil McDiarmid 1875-1879.

Reverend Evan MacCauley 1880-1888.

(By this time, the East and West congregations, drawing smaller, were reunited under one Minister.)

Reverend William Robertson 1890-1906.

Reverend Samuel Lawrence 1907-1919.

Reverend Stuart Woods 1919-1925.

Reverend Peter Mathieson 1925-1935.

Reverend J. L. Burgess 1936-

Elders (Old and Present)

Neil McPhatter

Gillies McBean

Before 1844

Angus McPherson

1847

William McCormick

Duncan MacDonald

Lochlan McMillan

1870

John Martin

John McAninch

William McAllister

1891

Archie Scott

Alexander Chisholm

James Blake

1913

William Simm

Fred Roszell

Robert McRobbie

1918

Charles Martin

James McPherson

1933

Order of Service

7 p.m.

Doxology

Prayer of Invocation

Psalm 108: “I To the Hills”.

New Hope Quartette

Scripture

Anthem: “The Lord is My Shepherd” ─ J. A. MacFarmis

Prayer

Quartette

Announcements and Offering

Anthem: “Abide with Me” ─ R. G. Thomson

Hymn 298: “How Glorious Zion’s Courts Appear”

Sermon Reverend J. D. Smart, PhD., of Knox Church, Galt.

Prayer

Hymn 599: “Oh God of Bethel By Whose Hand”

Benediction.

Reverend Andrew Maclean

Pioneer Minister

Elders group photograph,

June 5^th 1940, church in background.

Back row, left to right: Fred Roszell, Wm. Simms, Charles Martin, James McPherson. Front row, left to right: Archibald Scott. Also in front row: Rev. J. L. Burgess, present Minister, and sitting on his left, Lt. Colonel John Bayne Maclean, V.D., LL.D, who, as the eldest son of the first minister, was invited to sit with them.

Senior ladies group photograph

June 5^th 1940,

Crieff, West Puslinch.

Front row, left to right: Mrs. Archibald Scott, Mrs. J. L. Burgess, Mrs. Fixter, Miss Abbie McIntosh. Back row, left to right: Mrs. Angus McCormick, Mrs. Angus McPherson, Miss Caherine McIntosh, Mrs. Alan Stewart. Mrs. Burgess is the wife of the present minister. Others are grand or great grandchildren of pioneer settlers. Mrs. Fixter is the great granddaughter of the first elder, Neil McPhatter.

Cut of old Manse, as it was, when presented

by the congregation to Lt. Colonel John Bayne Maclean, Toronto.

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The Manse, Crieff, West Puslinch,

as restored and refurnished by sons of Rev. Andrew Maclean, the first Minister,

Lt. Colonel John Bayne Maclean and Major Hugh C. Maclean

Rev. Dr. John Bayne, D.D. Minister of Knox’s Church, Galt, 1835-1859

from the original engraving, hanging in The Manse, Crieff, West Puslinch.

Copy of the letter from Reverend John Bayne, D.D. to Reverend Andrew Maclean, offering Mr. Maclean the appointment as pastor of the West Puslinch congregation, August 28th 1856.

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Edinburgh, August 26th, 1856.

Reverend and dear Sir:

Having been deputed by a Gaelic-speaking congregation in Canada West adjoining my own to look out for a pastor who might break among them the bread of life and having heard from Mr. Bonar of your willingness to go out to Canada, and being assured of your qualifications for the pastoral office, I now write to offer you the appointment to the congregation in question that I have been empowered to make, an offer in which Mr. Bonar heartily concurs.

The congregation to which I refer is that of West Puslinch, situated in the Township of Puslinch, about 30 miles west from the head of Lake Ontario and about 8 miles from Galt where I reside.

There is a large body of Highlanders in Puslinch-two congregations-the East and the West-were formerly united under one pastor, but both are now strong enough to support pastor’s for themselves---the East congregation have secured a pastor and I understand are flourishing and the West are now anxiously awaiting the result of my action upon the commission they have given me. They have a large church already built---larger than the East --- and I have no doubt that an acceptable minister would draw into it a large and flourishing congregation.

There are several very worthy men in the congregation and I have no doubt that anything that might be suggested might be done by them to strengthen the hands of a faithful minister in his work and to make him otherwise comfortable. The stipend offered is £150 yearly equal to £120 sterling and I believe might be depended upon.

From there being only one church to supply and the congregation likely to be located within a few miles around it the pastoral work would be much easier than it often is in Canada, and in this respect the situation has advantages for a young minister, which I daresay you will be able to appreciate.

Such then is the field for usefulness which is now in the providence of God set before you---and I will only add that if it commends itself to you as a field you would desire to occupy, it is desirable that you enter upon it as soon as possible. The congregation has now been some time without a pastor and of the natural tendency of such a state of things, as well as the injurious influence of hope deferred, I need not tell you. I propose, D.V., returning to Canada in the course of the next month and would be delighted to have you for a companion, but if that be too soon for you, although the Ministers of Christ like the soldiers should be ready to start whenever the trumpet sounds, there is time enough for you to get ready before winter. Our winters in Canada although severe as respects the temperature, are remarkably dry and in consequence favourable to health, and you need not be deterred from going out late in the season of the year of being met at once by the rigours of winter.

At the same time if anything occurred to prevent your going out this year I believe the people of Puslinch would wait for you until spring, provided you gave them a definite promise to be with them at that time.

With regard to Canada generally, as a field of labour for the Minister of Christ, I may here state that the material prosperity of the province is at ability to support ministers, there is a widely prevalent desire to secure their services; that our Church has obtained a firm footing and extensive influence in the country which gives every encouragement to hope for an increase of her numbers and her usefulness; and that no faithful minister of our Church need think he is going from a higher to an inferior field of usefulness---but very much the reverse---in going from Scotland to Canada.

As to outfit, should you think of closing with this appointment, I regret that by an oversight nothing has been said of it in the letter requesting me to look out for a minister, but the usual allowance given to missionaries will of course be forthcoming.

Be so good as to let me have your answer, I hope a favourable one, as soon as possible.

Had time permitted, I should have visited North Uist (?) in person, and given you further information about Canada and Puslinch than can well be done by letter, but if anything of information has been overlooked I need scarcely say that I shall be happy to write again.

Praying that the great head of the Church may dispose you to such a decision as shall be for his own glory and the good of our souls, I am

Reverend and dear Sir,

Yours very truly,

(S) JOHN BAYNE.

Revd. Andrew McLean

Carinish.

P.S. Address me care of Mrs. Laurie,

1 Avenue Nillas

Comley Bank

Edinburgh.

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Heads of Families in the Congregation of West Puslinch

West Puslinch, under Mr. Maclean’s early ministry, had 111 Heads of Families. Later these increased to about 145, at the time of his death in 1873. The original list, in his own handwriting, found in one of his memo books of 1857, is as follows:

Heads of Families Beverly District
Alexander Robinson	Donald Cameron	Donald Campbell
Donald Cameron	Mrs. Cameron	Kenneth Campbell
John McPherson	Allan McCaog	Alex’r Campbell
John Fraser	Widow Finlayson	Colin Chisholm
Duncan Macdonald	Andrew McBean	William Grey
George McDonald	Robert Stewart	John McGregor
William McBean	William Renwick	Widow Cockram
John McBean	George Renwick	William McKenzie
Gillies McBean	Alexander Easton	Arch’d Macdonald
William McBean	John Myers	John Munro
Lewis Macdonald	Charles Blair	Donald Macdonald
Simon Fraser

Heads of Families Gore District
_______ Campbell	Widow McNab	George Elliot
William McCormick	David Morton	Donald Macdonald
Neil McPhatter	John Macdonald	Kenneth Cameron
Malcolm McCormick	Angus McPherson

Heads of Families 1^st Concession of Puslinch
Robert McArthur	John Macdonald	Hugh Stewart
Neil McCormick	Angus McCormick	Duncan Stewart
Angus McKellar	William McCormick	Widow Stewart
John Thomson	Malcolm McPhatter	Alexander Fraser
______ McLennan	Thomas Fordyce	Alex’r MacKintosh
Lachlan McMillan	Donald Stewart	Roderick Beaton
David Currie	William Gilchrist	Murdock Munro
Matthew McPhatter	Neil Thomson	Duncan McPherson
John Scott	Hugh McPherson	John McPherson
Donald Currie	John Thomson	Alexander McPherson
Neil McPhatter	James McPherson	Matthew McMillan
Donald McTaggart	Alex’r McIntyre	Donald Murchison
John McLarty	Duncan Macdonald	John McGeachy
Richard Bond	John Stewart	Malcolm Currie
James McPhatter	John Macdonald	Norman McLeod

Heads of Families 2^nd Concession of Puslinch
Malcolm Gilchrist	Neil Wilkinson	Mrs. McCallum
James Stewart	Donald McMillan	William Stewart
Roderick Morrison- Lake	Alex’r Fraser	Donald McKenzie
_______ Currie - Lake	John Martin	Donald Munro
______ Cochrane	Mrs. Ramsay

Heads of Families 3^rd Concession of Puslinch
John Gilchrist	John McCormick	Alexander McLennan
Arch’d Gilchrist	John Wilkinson

The School, at Crieff,

with corner of Rev. Andrew Maclean Memorial Gardens adjoining.

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The earliest available record of a West Puslinch school is that of Crieff, S. S. No. 6, Puslinch, in a little book kept by the teacher, R. I. Smith, in 1858, who headed the first page and signed his name in the highly ornamental lettering of those days.

The first entry, February 16, 1858, tells of the official Examination of the school by Rev. Andrew McLean, Alex. McKenzie, Trustee, and D. Munro. Another visit by Mr. McLean and A. McKenzie is recorded March 1st. There are notes of several other visits during the year. One, June 10th, is by the School Superintendent, in his own handwriting:

“June 10th, 1858.

I visited the School taught here to-day. The scholars are very tidy and clean.

The order good ---not far advanced in the branches of Education, yet very good so far as they have gone. I consider Mr. Smith an efficient Teacher.

James Kilgour, School Sup.”

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In these early days, the ministers were, and felt responsible for, the early education and character training of the children of their congregations, their guidance and inspiration for useful, happy, prosperous future lives.

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