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 5th 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 5th 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.

 

_________________________

 

 

 

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.

________________________________________

 

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.

 

__________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

1st 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

2nd 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

3rd 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.

 

__________________

 

 

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.”

 

______________________

 

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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