Visit of Rev. Daniel Shedd Wright – Rev. Wright of Vermont delivered an entertaining speech to an audience of 50 people on June 12, 2019, at the Mt. Gilead Presbyterian Church. Rev. Wright, great, great grandson of Rev. Henry Shedd, founder of the Presbyterian Church in Mt. Gilead, spoke about his ancestor’s arrival in what was, in 1829, Morven Township, Marion County. According to his writings, the area was “a new, wooded, muddy country”. (Refer to past newsletters for excerpts from Rev. Shedd’s autobiography). As a part of his presentation, Rev. Wright and his wife, Peggy, sang an “1848 Temperance Song”, thus illustrating Rev. Shedd’s involvement in social reform efforts of the middle 1800s. Later in life, Rev. Shedd helped found the National Bank of Mt. Gilead and became known as a local historian. His compilation of over 300 names of known Civil War Soldiers from Morrow County, detailed in account of their regiments and later whereabouts, is located in the genealogy collection of the Mt. Gilead Public Library. On display that evening were items in the Rev. Henry Shedd Collection owned by the Morrow County Genealogical Society. Rev. Wright was engaged in answering questions following the evening program. Refreshments were served by members of the First Presbyterian Church.
