Payette County ID Archives History - Letters .....Letter By A. J. McFarland January 19, 1924
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Patty Theurer seymour784@yahoo.com January 17, 2006, 10:29 pm

Book Title: 

Letter By A. J. McFarland
Written January 19, 1924

New Plymouth, Idaho January 19, 1924.  Dear Friends, Robert, Hugh and Sammy 
Kennedy.  
I have been thinking of the past, and especially of you and your family and 
concluded I should write you a letter.  I came here to Idaho in the spring of 
1868, in May as I had a sister living here at that time, and I found that there 
was but one Christian here in the Payette Valley from the Snake River up to 
above the Horse Shoe Bend.  That one Christian was old Mr. Sammy Applegate.  I 
talked the matter over with him and told him if I staid here we must have a 
change.  I went to Idaho City and taught school there three years and came back 
here again.  I bought out my brother-in-law and had a store here and took 
possession of the store on Jan. 1, 1871.

I wrote to Ogden Utah to the M. E. Conference.  I told them how we were 
situated, and that we must have a minister sent here to preach.  They sent me 
the name and address of a man who said he would come and preach.  I wrote him.  
He answered my letter and came soon after.  His name was Rev. G. Allender and 
his good wife.  They lived here with me for eight years.  He was a good man and 
began to preach here in the valley and in Emmett and Payette and Weiser.  In 
the fall he held revival meetings here at our school house which was on the 
Ervin or Moore ranch.  The meetings lasted three weeks and 44 were converted.  
Among them was Peter Pence and his wife, D. Bivens and his wife and 8 grown 
children, John Neal and wife and 7 children, Robert Kennedy and wife, Cash 
Nichols, G. W. Hunt and wife, Mrs. Groves, Mr. Youtsler and wife, Mr. and Mrs. 
Nichols and others, in all 44 persons.  The first one converted was Mrs. Peter 
Pence.  From the meetings at first she said she wanted to be converted.  She 
waited until the minister asked her to pray and tell God what she wanted.  She 
told God what she wanted him to pardon all her sins.  After her prayer she said 
I thank you for forgiving all my sins.  She did look very happy and told 
everybody so.  Then many of the people were converted, among them Mr. and Mrs. 
King.  

Since that time many of them have died.  Among them was Bivens, whom I think 
was the first.  The day he died the house was full.  He greeted them all and 
called them by and said he was dying and it was the happiest day of his life, 
and bid them “good-bye”.  

Now you boys (Kennedy) know that your parents are gone and I think if you could 
hear from your mother, she would say “do start in and live Christian lives.  
Give your hearts to God.  And ask him to help you live the life of 
Christians.”  I know your good mother was a true Christian.  I think Anna is a 
Christian and I hope you will become one too and be an unbroken family.  I do 
hope to hear each of you have become Christians.  I hope that each of you have 
started out to do what God desires of you to do and that is to live faithful 
and to look to Him for grace.

I am your old friend and well wisher,
Signed A. J. McFarland


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/payette/history/letters/letterby15gms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/idfiles/

File size: 3.6 Kb