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History of U.B. Churches in Harrisonburg-Staunton Region December 26, 2024
PREFACE
The purpose of this document is to provide indexed and searchable resources for those interested
in conducting research into the history of United Brethren (U.B.) and Evangelical United Brethren
(EUB) preachers and churches from the Virginia Conference, since the Conference’s inception as part of
the United Brethren in Christ (UBIC). Most of the information found in this document is derived from
Virginia Conference Minutes, 1876-1968, and other sources found in The Gruver-Souders U.B./EUB
Archives of Shenandoah University. Other information and photographs have been collected by the
Archives Working Group, comprising Presley R. “Pete” Phillips, head; Caroline Bateman Phillips;
Jacob Paul “Jake” Gruver, Jr., and the editor, Robert P. “Bob” McDonald-Walker.
This document provides extracts of all available Virginia Annual Conference Minutes, to include
reports of presiding elders on their districts, reports of Conference Superintendents on the state of the
whole Conference, as well as reports of the Boundary Committees whose recommendations established
and modified the arrangements of congregations into charges (e.g., circuits, missions, and stations) and
districts over the 150-some years in which reports are available. All of the material provided here comes
from the Annual Conference Minutes, except where external resources provide hints of the compositions
of churches within the charges that are not explicitly available in the Minutes.
Unfortunately, there are no “complete” lists of the preaching appointments (some of which
never, apparently, were organized as churches) in the Virginia Conference until 1899 (“complete” is
within quotes because there is good reason to think many appointments not organized as churches fail to
be mentioned even in 1899). Since preaches were appointed to or stationed at specific charges each
year, a good deal of research is required to associate specific church with its charge so as to know which
preacher was assigned for a particular year in the 19th century. After 1921, the Minutes list each
organized church for each charge in the page(s) allocated to conference statistics.
This document is one of nine volumes that constitute A History of the Virginia Conference of
United Brethren and Evangelical United Brethren, 1800-1969. Drafts of these volumes were distributed
in electronic form to more than 150 persons, societies, and institutions in the fall and winter of 2012 for
comment and early use. Additional information provided by recipients are included in the following:
Vol. 1, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in the Harrisonburg-Staunton Region of Virginia
Vol. 2, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in the Winchester Region of Virginia
Vol. 3, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in Morgan and Berkeley Counties of West Virginia
Vol. 4, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in the South Branch Region of West Virginia
Vol. 5, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in Maryland, Especially Western Maryland
Vol. 6, Relation of the U.B./EUB Virginia Conferences to Shenandoah University, 1875-1969
Vol. 7, History of the U.B. Virginia Conference of United Brethren, 1800-1946 (comprising
extracts of the Virginia U.B. Annual Conference Minutes relating to churches and preachers)
Vol. 8, History of the EUB Virginia Conference, 1947-1969 (comprising extracts of the Virginia
EUB Annual Conference Minutes relating to churches and preachers)
Vol. 9, Preachers of the U.B./EUB Virginia Conferences: Biographical Sketches and Memoirs,
1800-1969 (A complete list of references is provided in Volume 9).
Contents iii
PREFACE
The purpose of this document is to provide indexed and searchable resources for those interested
in conducting research into the history of United Brethren (U.B.) and Evangelical United Brethren
(EUB) preachers and churches from the Virginia Conference, since the Conference’s inception as part of
the United Brethren in Christ (UBIC). Most of the information found in this document is derived from
Virginia Conference Minutes, 1876-1968, and other sources found in The Gruver-Souders U.B./EUB
Archives of Shenandoah University. Other information and photographs have been collected by the
Archives Working Group, comprising Presley R. “Pete” Phillips, head; Caroline Bateman Phillips;
Jacob Paul “Jake” Gruver, Jr., and the editor, Robert P. “Bob” McDonald-Walker.
This document provides extracts of all available Virginia Annual Conference Minutes, to include
reports of presiding elders on their districts, reports of Conference Superintendents on the state of the
whole Conference, as well as reports of the Boundary Committees whose recommendations established
and modified the arrangements of congregations into charges (e.g., circuits, missions, and stations) and
districts over the 150-some years in which reports are available. All of the material provided here comes
from the Annual Conference Minutes, except where external resources provide hints of the compositions
of churches within the charges that are not explicitly available in the Minutes.
Unfortunately, there are no “complete” lists of the preaching appointments (some of which
never, apparently, were organized as churches) in the Virginia Conference until 1899 (“complete” is
within quotes because there is good reason to think many appointments not organized as churches fail to
be mentioned even in 1899). Since preaches were appointed to or stationed at specific charges each
year, a good deal of research is required to associate specific church with its charge so as to know which
preacher was assigned for a particular year in the 19th century. After 1921, the Minutes list each
organized church for each charge in the page(s) allocated to conference statistics.
This document is one of nine volumes that constitute A History of the Virginia Conference of
United Brethren and Evangelical United Brethren, 1800-1969. Drafts of these volumes were distributed
in electronic form to more than 150 persons, societies, and institutions in the fall and winter of 2012 for
comment and early use. Additional information provided by recipients are included in the following:
Vol. 1, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in the Harrisonburg-Staunton Region of Virginia
Vol. 2, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in the Winchester Region of Virginia
Vol. 3, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in Morgan and Berkeley Counties of West Virginia
Vol. 4, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in the South Branch Region of West Virginia
Vol. 5, History of the U.B./EUB Churches in Maryland, Especially Western Maryland
Vol. 6, Relation of the U.B./EUB Virginia Conferences to Shenandoah University, 1875-1969
Vol. 7, History of the U.B. Virginia Conference of United Brethren, 1800-1946 (comprising
extracts of the Virginia U.B. Annual Conference Minutes relating to churches and preachers)
Vol. 8, History of the EUB Virginia Conference, 1947-1969 (comprising extracts of the Virginia
EUB Annual Conference Minutes relating to churches and preachers)
Vol. 9, Preachers of the U.B./EUB Virginia Conferences: Biographical Sketches and Memoirs,
1800-1969 (A complete list of references is provided in Volume 9).
Contents iii
