s came welling up from their depths, until
they brimmed the eyelids of all, and fell in showers, as when the cloud
angel shakes his wings. Those only who have mingled in the first
religious meetings of the new settlement, can rightly appreciate the
intense interest or gauge the overwhelming emotions of such an occasion.

Fond du Lac appears on the General Minutes at the session of the Rock
River Conference, held Aug. 26th, 1840. At that time the entire
Territory was included in two districts. The first swept across from the
southwest to the northeast, making Platteville and Green Bay its extreme
points. And the other embraced the southeastern portion, and extended as
far west and north as Watertown and Summit. The Presiding Elder on the
latter, the Milwaukee, was Rev. Julius Field, and on the former, the
Platteville, Rev. H.W. Reed. The year following the northeastern portion
was erected into a separate district, called Green Bay, and Rev. James
R. Goodrich was made the Presiding Elder. Brother Reed remained another
year on the Platteville District, but during that year it retained only
two charges that are at the present writing included within the bounds
of the Wisconsin Conference. After this date, the labors of Brother Reed
fell within other Conferences, where doubtless a record will be made of
them. His visits, however, have not been forgotten. He was a man of
kindly spirit and great practical wisdom. Wherever he laid the
foundations, they showed the labors of a skillful hand. He still remains
in the Itinerancy, and is the Patriarch of Iowa Methodism.

Brother Goodrich, who succeeded him on the Green Bay portion of the
district, is also remembered with great pleasure by the people. He
remained three years on the district, and during the first two, served
the Green Bay station also. He was transferred to the Chicago District
in 1844, and was succeeded on the Green Bay District by Rev. Wm. H.
Sampson. At the close of the year, Brother Goodrich took a
superannuated relation.

Rev. Jesse Halstead was appointed to the Fond du Lac charge, as before
stated, and the Mission was made to include both Fond du Lac and
Brothertown. He was also continued on the same charge the following
year, the circuit now being changed from the Platteville to the Green
Bay District.

We have spoken at length of the Brothertown portion of the charge in
previous chapters, and may now confine the record to that of Fond du
Lac. During this ye