WESLEYANISM

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6962, 30 October 1909, Page 10

WESLEYANISM

■ A LITTLE MORE HISTORT. "Old , Identity" writes:—l r-cd a very interesting article a few dnys ago in "The Now Zealand Times" relating to the early days of the Wesleyan Church and Sunday school. It is generally understood that the Wesleyan Church and school were born in Wellington, but such is not the case. The Hurt Valley has the honour of being their birthplace. Early in IS<K) a great many Wce'.eyan families landed at ketone, and later on Bottled on the banlcs of the Ixutt river, flaw Alicetown;" they wero principally ifrom Cornwall, England.

A Mr W. Hunt, a very zealous We.sleyan and a local preacher, used to gather all the few. settlers who were luving then on the banks of the Hutt .rivor around him cm a Sunday, and jwith. the stump of a tree, for a pulpit tfall the settlers lived then in very'small •whares) prcachtd tho Gospel to them. Iln the afternoon he collected all thy c.iildren and taught them also. He was joined later by a gentleman named J. jjtaeters, a very zealous Wesleynn also, mad a local preacher. Afterwards these Itwo were assisted by Mir G. Wilkie, a Scotsman, and they continued preaching on Sundays and having Sunday school on the banks of the river for someturee years. Then they took up subscriptions and erected a small wooden «!ia,pel, 12ft by 18ft, on the banks of the river, and for seven years Wes-lcyan services and Sunday school were held there. |*l'hcn they erected a moro modem and [Substantial chapel, where the present Wesleyan Church is at tho Hutt, directly opposite the Catholic Church. The daughter of Mr Hunt married a ■Mr Charlie Keys (this was tnc first cou:bUs married in the provincial district of Wellington), the oeremony taking place on the Pctone beach, amd was pertorm•fd by tho Kev. Mr Butler, grandfather (Of the Bartem family of the Upper Hutt. Mrs Ktys i 3 now resident in the Kangitikei district. Mr John Masters, son of Mr J. Masters above mentioned, is farming in the Wairarapa. Mrs Tom Bart, senior, is a daughter of Mr G. Wilkie, and is still living at the Hutt. It is not necessary for me t$ relate anything about the Wesicyan Church later on, as there are many people still living in the Hutt who know the history of the Church of lato years. l'.S.—There was a gentleman by the nameof Kobison, who was a very zealous W'esleyan local preacher and who assisted the above-named gentleman so far as preaching was concerned, and in the Sunday schcol; he was tho father of ciCouncillor Kobison, who represented Makara Biding in the Hutt County Council for many yeare.