William Wick

Template:Wikidata image William Wick (June 29, 1768 – March 29, 1815) was Presbyterian Minister and schoolmaster in the frontier of Washington County, Pennsylvania, and the Connecticut Western Reserve (Western Reserve) in Ohio. His son, William W. Wick was a U.S. Representative from Indiana and Secretary of State of Indiana.

Early life and education

William Walter Wick was born on June 29, 1768, in Southampton, Long Island, New York.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn He was the son of Lemuel Wick (1743–1813) and Deborah Lupton (1751–1809). Lemuel was a lieutenant of the 5th company, 2nd Battalion, Suffolk County, New York militia in 1775. He was born in Southampton and died in Morristown, New Jersey. Both Lemuel and Deborah Wick were buried in the Southampton Cemetery in New York.Template:Sfn

He grew up in New York City.Template:Sfn In 1790, he left for Washington County, PennsylvaniaTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn with his father's family.Template:Sfn He was a farmer, but became interested in studying to become a minister after meeting Rev. John McMillan.Template:Sfn He attended Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in Canonsburg, PennsylvaniaTemplate:Sfn and graduated in 1797.Template:Sfn He then studied theology under Rev. McMillan.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Wick was well-versed in the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages.Template:Sfn

Marriage and children

On April 21, 1794, Wick married Elizabeth McFarland,Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn the daughter of Colonel Daniel McFarland (1731–1817), an officer in the Continental Army.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1778, he commanded the Pennsylvania Rangers in Ohio and Monongahela country.Template:Sfn Elizabeth was well-educated, gracious, and welcoming. It was said that she had "strong faith, clear views, deeply pious, [and] had more than ordinary perseverance."Template:Sfn

He and his wife had five daughters and eight sons,Template:Sfn many of whom died at a young age.Template:Sfn Eliza, Phebe, and Calvin made it to adulthood.Template:Sfn Their son, William (known as "W"), was born in Canonsburg, Washington County, Pennsylvania.

He moved his family to the Youngstown area in 1800, and he had a cabin by September 1800.Template:Sfn In Youngstown, Wick's residence was on Federal Street. On one side was the Presbyterian Church and his brother Henry's residence and store were on the other side.Template:Sfn In 1801, Rev. Wick purchased a farm in Coitsville, Ohio.Template:Sfn

His brother Henry Wick ran a mercantile business in Washington County, and then followed his brother to Youngstown where he established a residence and a store. He also purchased 37 acres of land just out of town.Template:Sfn Samuel Bryson and Henry were the first merchants in Youngstown.Template:Sfn

Career

Frontier pastor

Wick was ordained as a Presbyterian minister by the Presbytery of Ohio on August 28, 1799, and then headed out for the present-day city of Youngstown, Ohio.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn William Wick was one of the first two ministers to settle in the territory of the Western Reserve, the other being a Congregational pastor by the name of Joseph Badger.

On September 1, 1799, he held a worship service for a group of settlers, which was probably the first church service held for whites in Youngstown, as well as in the Western Reserve.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He is also said to have founded the First Presbyterian Church of Youngstown, Ohio on that day.Template:Sfn

He was the pastor of the Hopewell and later out of Hopewell some congregants formed Neshannock Presbyterian Churches in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1801.Template:Sfn During that time he traveled back to Youngstown for some services, such as the marriage of Rebecca Bush and Stephen Baldwin on November 3, 1800. It was the first marriage in the Reserve.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn In May 1800, he established the Presbyterian Society in Youngstown.Template:Sfn In 1801, he was assigned to the Hopewell and Youngstown churches, and he was assigned to both churches for 15 years.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn

Until the church was built, services were held at Elder Caleb Baldwin's cabin or in a grove at the site of the current church.Template:Sfn The log cabin church, located in Youngstown at Wood Street and Wick Avenue, was the oldest house of worship in the Reserve,Template:SfnTemplate:Efn perhaps built in 1802Template:Sfn or 1805. The building was used as both a school and church for 30 years.Template:Sfn

While leading the Youngstown church, he established the first formal religious organization in Poland, Ohio, on May 3, 1802. The first minister of the Poland church was a frontier missionary from Connecticut, Rev. Joseph Badger.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Wick provided assistance in the founding of the Church of Christ in Warren on November 19, 1803.Template:Sfn Wick was a missionary for the Connecticut Society and received his last commission for one year on January 17, 1815.Template:Sfn He was connected with two Synods of the Trinity: the Synod of Pittsburgh and the Hartford Presbytery (later known as the Beaver Presbytery).Template:Sfn

Educator

He taught school in the log cabin church of Hopewell in New Bedford (parents and grandparents buried in the graveyard), which was attended by William Holmes McGuffey and his sister Jane, who lived on a farm about five miles away in Coitsville, Ohio.Template:Sfn William and Jane studied and boarded with the Wick family during the winter months, when they were not needed to work on the farm. William studied Latin, and perhaps Greek and Hebrew, as preparation for studying theology. William studied under Wick until his death, when William was 14.Template:Sfn

Death

Having become very feeble, Wick delivered his last sermon on February 13, 1815, in Hopewell. When he was unable to leave his home, congregants came to his house to hear his sermon.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He died in Hopewell on March 29, 1815, and was interred in Youngstown.Template:Sfn His original gravestone stated that he was "a respectable and punctual member of the judicature of the church, lived much beloved and died much lamented."Template:Sfn Elizabeth received one year's salary after Wick's death.Template:Sfn Sometime afterwards, Elizabeth went to live with one of their daughters.Template:Sfn She died about 1835.Template:Sfn