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From: Merle C Rummel <>
Subject: Re: [BRE] Toney's at Four Mile Church
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:34:20 -0500
References: <393213.54851.qm@web65502.mail.ac4.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <393213.54851.qm@web65502.mail.ac4.yahoo.com>


> I find Toneys in Indiana but not in Ohio,
> There is a William Toney that was a minister in Indiana.
>
> Toney, William S. (CB); 8-19-1837 / 9-27-1911; eld. 1893; Walton, IN; Indiana (1917) 442-44; GM (1911) 671.
>


The minister/Elder, William Smith Toney, was the son of James Toney and
Sarah Lybrook. James and Sarah lived just west of her parents, Philip
Lybrook (wife, Anna Miller - daughter of Elder Jacob Miller). William
Smith Toney was named for Elder William Smith, who partnered Elder Jacob
Miller - preaching in English while Elder Miller preached in German. He
was born right after Elder William Smith's death.

William Smith was a noted Brethren minister in Franklin Co VA - he was a
British Surgeon in the Revolution, who came back country (from Yorktown,
probably, with the Toneys) after the war, the followed the family to
Indiana Territory. About 1820 he moved across the state to the Raccoon
Creek Congregation, as its founding Elder. The same 1820s Revival
dispute with Annual Meeting, resulted in him being removed from the
Eldership (he welcomed too many non-Brethren to his services) - Annual
Meeting had declared for the "closed service" - Elder William Smith had
"open services".

Elder William Smith Toney married Mary Moss, born in "Wabash County"
(Carroll, Cass, Howard, Miami Counties)- across the state, but after her
mother's death was returned by her father, to the grandparents (Deacon
David Rinehart) who lived across the road from the Toney homestead, in
Preble County OH. (Her sister, Sarah, married Elder Carey Toney [Jr] -
my wife's gr grandparents - Carey was raised at the homestead farm,
married the pretty girl, across the road.) Elder William Smith Toney
and Mary, took her parents and moved to "Wabash County". Elder William
Smith Toney and Elder Carey Toney were two of the most prominent
Brethren in southern Indiana, in their day. Elder Abraham Rinehart was
the uncle of Mary and Sarah, and married Elizabeth, the sister of
William Smith Toney - they went to the Upper Deer Creek Church (in Cass
Co, "Wabash Country").

Pictures of these places (and of Elder Wiliam and Mary - and of Elder
Carey and Sarah) are in my 200th Anniversary Presentation - at
www.cob-net.org/docs/brethrenlife.htm - under Presentations. The
200th Presentation includes pictures and maps of the Four Mile Church
families and homes -and presents the 1830s migration from Four Mile,
across the state of Indiana - and west.

I also have there, a revised copy fo the Frontier Brethren Presentation
(the Kentucky Brethren) given at Annual Conference last summer.

Merle C Rummel

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