Jeremiah Lanphier's noontime prayer meeting sent revival across the country

 

 

 

 

Jeremiah Lanphier, a name no one recalls outside of Bible scholars. Born in Coxsackie, New York in 1809 to a farming family. At 16, he apprenticed to a cloth merchant and also studied music. Jeremiah opened his own business at the same time he joined the Broadway Tabernacle choir at the church built for Revivalist Charles Finney. Under his preaching, Jeremiah became a Christian.

As wealthy families moved away from lower Manhattan, the churches moved with them. But Lanphier continued to live in lower Manhattan, serving the Lord where he could. He embraced the call to be a city missionary for the North Dutch Church in Manhattan.

Although Lanphier had no theological training, he was a remarkably good candidate for such a ministry. He never married. His peers described him as tall with a pleasant personality. He was full of energy and perseverance. Gifted in music, prayer, and preaching. Jeremiah was noted for his modest demeanor, his piety, and good judgment.

Ministry begins 

On July 1,1857, he closed his business and took on his lay-minister calling with determination. Going door to door, visiting homes, passing out religious tracts, and inviting people to church filled his days. Additionally, he invited children to Sunday School and encouraged the hotels to direct their guests to services. All of this with little to show for his efforts.

 Lanphier was given the task of reaching the growing population of New York. At the time, Manhattan's population was multiplying rapidly—immigrants, workers, and businessmen filled the streets. Few had any connection to church or faith. He struggled trying to fulfill his calling. People were busy, some distracted just trying to survive. Others were uninterested in the Gospel. Thus, he tried something different.

Lanphier found prayer brought him peace and contentment. He resolved to start a prayer meeting for businessmen. As a former business owner, he knew the value of time for them. During lunch, all the businesses were closed—a perfect time to pray. He sent out handbills inviting people to attend a prayer meeting every Wednesday during their lunch hour. The flyer encouraged people to come when they could between noon and one and stay as long as they liked; be it five minutes, twenty minutes, or the whole hour.

On September 23, 1857, he placed a sign outside the church directing people to the prayer room. The first meeting he prayed alone for thirty minutes, then one man came and before the hour was up, there were four more. Six men in attendance might have seemed like a failure, but Lanphier was persistent.

The next week there were twenty, the third week forty. and by October the prayer meeting became a daily gathering. There were few simple rules for the prayer meeting that Lanphier politely but firmly enforced: that those praying out loud were to be limited to five minutes and that no controversial topics were to be discussed. Women who attended the meetings could make requests, but weren't permitted to pray out loud. In the early days, hundreds of prayer requests came in to the Fulton Street meeting from all parts of the country. What was later known as the Fulton Street Revival was in full swing.

 Fulton Street Revival Grows

By January 1858, the church had opened a second room and by February a third, so prayers were going on simultaneously each noon. As many as twenty noon prayer meetings were being held throughout Manhattan. In mid-March Burton Theater, capable of holding 3,000, was crowded for the prayer meetings. By the end of March, every downtown New York church and public hall was filled to capacity. Ten thousand men were gathering daily for prayer.

It has been estimated that as many as a million people were converted in 1858 and 1859, more than 3% of United States population of less than thirty million.

For years after the revival, Lanphier continued to hold his daily prayer meeting in lower Manhattan. As The New York Times wrote after his retirement in 1893, "success did not elate him, nor was he discouraged by indifference."

The man was quietly faithful to his calling. He retired in 1893 due to age and failing eyesight. It is estimated that he oversaw more than 11,000 prayer meetings, where more than a half million people attended over 36 years, and that 56,000 prayers had been offered and 225,000 written requests for prayer had come in.

 Lanphier died on December 26, 1898. He left no famous sermon or other legacy that caused him to be remembered beyond the Christian circles he served in. Although he is given credit for starting the Fulton Street Revivals, scholars argue it had already begun before the prayer meetings started. Either way, Jeremiah Lanphier carried the torch of prayer consistently, daily leading others, lifting up the lost to the Lord.

Even after the revival ended, he never abandoned his calling to prayer. On the 150th Anniversary of the Prayer Meeting Revival, sculptor Lincoln Fox created a statue of Lanphier sitting on a park bench with Bible in hand, inviting passersby to pray, on the site where the Fulton Street Revival began. Later it was moved to the lobby of King's College.

Although he never sought fame, he impacted millions of lives through consistent prayer. What a wonderful reminder for believers.

Have you ever heard of the Fulton Street Revival or Jeremiah Lanphier?

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Cindy Ervin Huff, is a multi-published award-winning author in Historical and Contemporary Romance.  She’s a 2018 Selah Finalist. Cindy has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.

 

 

 

UTILIZING YOUR GOD-GIVEN TALENTS (Part II)

 

By Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

Christ said life would not be easy, especially not for Christians. “These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).

Ira F. Stanphill enjoyed utilizing his talent for songwriting to give others joy. However, his joy was never complete after his wife's departure from his life. Zelma took his four-year-old son with her.

A well-to-do and affluent Texas businessman’s life suddenly hit rock bottom. He felt he’d come to the end of his trail. He found himself in church that Sunday, hoping for answers to his questions.

Though he was young, he had run out of options for his floundering business. The sermon didn’t help him. Seeking an escape from his misery, he sought solace in a country road. Driving out of the metropolitan area, he found himself in the country. He parked his car down the worst of the country roads and went out for a walk. The road became narrower and the going rougher. Still, he pressed on.

Coming to a dilapidated cottage, he noticed some of the windows had been patched with cardboard. A little girl out front was rocking back and forth in her little rocking chair. She clutched a worn and frayed doll to her bosom, whose appearance wasn’t much better than the little girl’s. Stained with use, with the stuffing protruding from worn cloths the doll looked a sight. The little girl was oblivious to her tattered doll as well as her thread-bare clothing. Caressing the doll to her, the little girl, her face gleaming, a smile echoing her thankful heart, continued to rock back and forth, singing a lullaby. 

"Little girl, would you tell me how you can be happy living in such a house? It is broken down, and the windows are out in several places. The doll you have in your hand is broken with the stuffing coming out. How can you be happy?" The little girl looked up with a smiling face and a gesturing hand and said, "Mister, my daddy just came into a lot of money, and he is building us a brand new mansion just over that hilltop."

He felt as if someone had pierced his heart. The businessman was that moved by the honesty of the little girl’s words. Words he often read—but now understood:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In my father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you…” (John 14:1-3).

It was then he realized, “That though his earthly business was faltering, the heavenly father had greater things in store for him. It was as though he heard God saying, ‘Son, don't you know that I have a mansion prepared for you just beyond those clouds?’”

The young businessman left that dilapidated cottage and wise little girl with a new determination to live for God. His heavenly Father would take care of him—and His business.

Only, that wasn’t the end of it. The young businessman found himself before the congregation telling his story, that’s when Ira Stanphill heard it, and all night long, tossed and turned only to get up the next morning to write:

I'm satisfied with just a cottage below
A little silver and little gold
But in that city where the ransomed will shine
I want a gold one that's silver lined

I've got a mansion just over the hilltop
In that bright land where we'll never grow old
And some day yonder we'll never more wander
But walk on streets that are purest gold

Though often tempted, tormented and tested
And like the prophet, my pillow is stone
And though I find here, no permanent dwelling
I know He'll give me a mansion of my own

I've got a mansion just over the hilltop
In that bright land where we'll never grow old
And some day yonder we will never more wander
But walk on streets that are purest gold

Don't think me poor or deserted or lonely
I'm not discouraged 'cuz I'm Heaven bound
I'm just a pilgrim in search of a city
I want a mansion, a robe, a crown

I've got a mansion just over the hilltop
In that bright land where we'll never grow old
And some day yonder we'll never more wander
But walk on streets that are purest gold

We'll walk on streets that are purest gold

Ira was granted custody of his son, but sadly was unable to reconcile with his wife, who died tragically in an automobile accident. He never allowed his personal life to have any effects on his faith in Jesus Christ, nor his God-given talent.

Leaning on God, and trusting in faith, believing, as Jesus Christ said, “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

Our talents overlap with each other’s talents in a most inspirational way, as noted by this true story, which happened over seventy years before, in 1948, for others to draw hope and encouragement from. God Bless!

LOVE’S FINAL SUNRISE by Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

New Yorker Ruth Jessup and Amish-bred Joshua Stutzman lived in different worlds; their lives collided into catastrophic proportions battling wits against a psychopath and The New World Order...  Fleeing for her life and suffering from amnesia, Ruth finds herself in an hourglass of yesteryear. Can Joshua’s Amish ways help them survive these final three-and-one-half years?

    "To be honest, I’m not usually drawn to fiction. But for this no-nonsense nonfiction lover, Love’s Final Sunrise was a risk that paid off in full measure. I highly recommend this author’s way of weaving intrigue, romance, and Christian principles."  Lori Ann Wood

Catherine says, "My readers encourage my writing!" An award-winning author, her inspirational historical romances include Wilted Dandelions, her faith-based Destiny series Swept into Destiny, Destiny’s Whirlwind, Destiny of Heart, and Waltz with Destiny. Her newest book is Love's Final Sunrise. She's written two pictorial history books. Images of America: The Lapeer Area, and Images of America: Eastern Lapeer County. 

https://news.ag.org/en/articles/news/2025/05/this-week-in-ag-history-may-25-1952 

https://ifphc.wordpress.com/2025/05/29/ira-stanphill-the-story-behind-the-beloved-assemblies-of-god-gospel-singer-and-songwriter/

General George McClellan's Pursuit of Miss Nelly

Nelly & George McClellan

Miss Ellen (Nelly) Marcy was considered to be the catch of the East Coast in the mid and late 1850’s. Her father was a renowned army captain who saw his daughter as his prized achievement. From his posts on the frontier in Texas and elsewhere, he wrote his daughter a multitude of letters seeking to guide her development, and nowhere was this more important than in the selection of a marriage partner.

By all accounts, Nelly was the sweetest, most agreeable young woman imaginable. Intelligent, kind, and skilled at making everyone feel welcome, she was also a beauty and a faithful Christian. Young businessmen and military officers alike flocked to pay her court.

An army man himself, her father warned her against falling in love with a military man, especially if he were an officer in the field. Such a man would be gone for months or years on end, leaving her alone back east, or even worse, the man might try to bring her to the frontier itself, exposing her to the dangers and rugged, hard living.

Instead, Marcy wanted his daughter to be socially ambitious and marry up on the social ladder. He also wanted her to be well-provided for. He thought he’d found a good prospect in 1854 when his daughter was eighteen: Lieutenant George McClellan, one of the most promising engineers in the army and not a field officer. McClellan, who had been known as a boy genius at West Point, came from a very well-placed Philadelphia family. Marcy decided that in McClellan’s case, he’d be willing to make an exception to the “no army men clause.”

Gen. George McClellan riding into Frederick, MD, years late during the Civil War
in Frank Leslie's Newspaper

McClellan fell hard for the beautiful, charming young woman the first time he laid eyes on her, and confident man that he was, he felt assured of victory. He wrote to her mother and declared his intentions. Her father had already encouraged his pursuit, and her mother quickly joined McClellan’s fan club. Unfortunately for McClellan, Nelly wasn’t having it. He was a charming young officer who was fine as a friend, but she felt no spark.

Impetuous, McClellan rushed to propose after a short acquaintance, and he received a flat no. After many attempts to persuade Nelly differently and after numerous letters to her mother, he gained no ground. Nelly wouldn’t write to him, and he was now stationed in Florida. After a year of making no headway, he backed off from pursuit, but his heart still belonged to Nelly.

In the meantime, McClellan’s roommate from West Point, Lieutenant A.P. Hill, a lady’s man, met Nelly and fell in love. This time, the feeling was mutual, much to Mr. and Mrs. Marcy’s chagrin. Hill was a field officer bound to spend many years on the frontier, and his family background was only mediocre, not the crème of society.

General A.P. Hill

When Nelly accepted Hill’s proposal, her parents were livid. Her father wrote that she had greatly disappointed him, and that his strong love for her might turn to hate if she didn’t come to her senses. Basically, he said she’d have to choose between Hill and him.

Her mother wasn’t much better, except she went on the attack against Hill. She learned that in his wild youth, ten years before, he’d stopped in New York City on his way back to West Point and contracted a venereal disease. She spread this information about the social circles of Washington. She even wrote McClellan, who was serving in Europe at the time, with the information, but he reprimanded her and stood up for his old roommate.

Nelly eventually gave in to her parents’ bullying and broke off her engagement. A year later, Hill found someone else and eventually married.

The years passed. McClellan left the army and became a vice-president of the Illinois Central Railroad. And Nellie continued to be the fairest of many balls, pursued a multitude of gentleman callers hoping to win her affection and hand and her father’s approval.

In March 1858, four years after his failed proposal, McClellan managed to strike up a correspondence with Nelly. Her father had led a dangerous but successful rescue mission out west in Utah, and McClellan wrote to her, commending her father. Thus began their relationship via pen and paper, he in Chicago and she in Washington. Hope was reborn. Nellie wrote to him as a friend, in a sisterly fashion, and he took matters slowly this time, no rash proposals. However, he assured her he was her longest and most ardent admirer.

Eighteen months later, he had a chance to see her. Nelly and her mother planned to travel to St. Paul to spend the winter with her father. McClellan invited them to stop in Chicago for a couple of days and stay with him. They accepted.

Steam Engine

When it was time for mother and daughter to head on to St. Paul, McClellan offered his private train car for their travel, and he joined them for their journey. He had never stopped loving her. There had been no one else in all of this time, and he wasn’t about to let the woman of his dreams slip away without a giving his all to win her as his wife.

General George & Nelly McClellan
(Library of Congress)

He proposed on the second day of the train ride, and she accepted. His persistence, faithfulness, and enduring love had eventually won her heart.

Sherry Shindelar

Originally from Tennessee, Sherry loves to take her readers into the past. A romantic at heart, she is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. Sherry is a multi-award-winning writer. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of forty-one years.

Connect with Sherry: website, newsletter, Amazon, FB, Goodreads

Texas Reclaimed

Can love blossom between a woman haunted by her family’s past and a man with a war-scarred heart?

Cora Scott is determined to hold onto her family's Texas ranch and provide a stable home for her young half brother, Charlie, despite the mounting challenges of post-Civil War frontier life. But when a scheming creditor threatens to seize their land, she must accept help from Ben McKenzie, a former Yankee soldier sent by her late brother. Though Ben's generosity and strength draw her, the man's private struggle she stumbles upon—too reminiscent of her father's alcoholism—makes her question whether she can trust her heart to him.

Ben McKenzie arrives in Texas intent on fulfilling his promise to his dying friend to protect Cora and Charlie. While using his inheritance to save their ranch, he battles not only the loss of their cattle but also his dependency on laudanum—a medicine that turned into a curse after his imprisonment at Andersonville. As his feelings for Cora deepen, he must choose between his promise to his father to take over their Philadelphia newspaper and his growing dream of a life with Cora in Texas.

The Original Town of Washington, California by Denise M. Colby

County map of California, 1860, by S.A. Mitchell, Jr., Atlas map

There was a town called Washington located across the Sacramento River from Sacramento City. It was never officially recorded and the town became later known as Broderick, a suburb of West Sacramento.

Early History

It originally was a land grant from the Mexican Governor to John Schwartz. John had built a shack along the river six miles south of where the American and Sacramento Rivers converge. He and his brother had established a salmon fishery there, then expanded to raising livestock and growing potatoes and melons.

The 600 acres was purchased by James McDowell in 1846 (before the Gold Rush in 1848). He and his wife, Margaret, and their three daughters (I’ve also read there were five children in a different report) lived there. James died by being shot in a saloon brawl in 1849.

In order to survive, Margaret McDowell took in boarders, but it wasn’t enough. Then she realized how valuable her land was. She hired a surveyor to map out 160 acres, which was then divided into 41 blocks. She named it the Town of Washington. Rumor has it she formed the town on Washington’s birthday and thus the name. Since there wasn’t an official registry, it’s possible she named it on the day of sale for the first plot, which sold for $500.

On it’s way to longevity in the 1850s

Whatever the date, the Town of Washington thrived for more than ten years. Businesses included a shipping company, hotels, saloons, restaurants. Fishing and farming were a staple as well. Washington was the pivotal destination from Sacramento for those traveling further west, or for those traveling East before crossing the river to Sacramento.

The Pony Express would deliver their parcels to Sacramento, then put it on a barge that traveled down river to San Francisco. On the few occasions they would miss the barge, they would travel by ferry to Washington, then follow the established wagon trail route from Washington down to Vallejo (I actually use this route in my 3rd book No Plan at All). 

It’s been said that a town is official once it establishes a post office. Washington gained one in April 1854, but it burnt down two years later and was never rebuilt. They had to go to Sacramento to get their mail after that. On a side bar, there is another town called Washington (located northeast of Sacramento in Yuba County) formed in 1850 (and most likely recorded). This other Washington is only 1.9 square miles and received a post office in 1862. I’m making an assumption here, but it is probably the reason Margaret’s Town of Washington never had a new post office because no two towns named the same can have a federal post office. When the town was renamed to Broderick, then it received a new post office in 1893.

Margaret (now with her third husband) donated land to form a school district in 1856. Named the Washington Unified School District, which still exists today.

Factors causing Washington to falter in the 1860s

The area flooded. I wrote about this in an earlier post about all the flooding in Sacramento. This caused the government to move several times between San Francisco and Sacramento. In 1851, the county seat (now called Yolo County) was relocated from Fremont to Washington. And for the next ten years, Washington was positioned to be considered for it permanently. Unfortunately the massive flood of 1862 (which caused Sacramento to “raise” their streets) made those voting for a permanent location to shy away from Washington, and they chose Woodland instead.

On top of that, Washington couldn't afford to raise their streets to prevent flooding like Sacramento did. They had to endure the flooding year after year (which I believe became worse once Sacramento raised its streets.

The final step in causing Washington’s demise was the railway bridge built in 1870. A train depot was built in 1868 in Washington which increased the amount of visitors and travelers. During this time, the only way to travel to Sacramento on this side of the river was by ferry. This made Washington a pivotal spot for travel by train from San Francisco, then ferry over to Sacramento to pick up the train there and vice versa.

 

1869 advertisement for train travel through Washington

(note that it was considered Sacramento)

However, there was so much competition between the railways that one rail company decided to build a railway bridge across the river in 1870. The tolls on the bridge ended up being cheaper than the ferry ride. This diverted traffic away from the town. Because passengers could now ride direct to Sacramento, they ended up bypassing Washington, and what was once a booming town filled with travelers, now saw a steady decline. 

All of these things impacted property values in the once-thriving community of Washington. In one report I read—it didn’t survive.

The community did to some extent, and it was renamed Broderick before the turn of the century. Then in early 1900 it was merged with two other communities to form what was called East Yolo, which then ultimately became the City of West Sacramento.

As I searched for a location to place my fictional town, I stumbled onto this settlement and it’s crazy history and it’s almost claim to fame. I think the words in the original research ‘did not survive’ had me wanting to form a fictional town with a different outcome. But I also didn’t want to confuse people with the name Washington since a Washington, California still exists today. So in honor of this small town, I chose the name Washton (and had my townspeople call it that as an abbreviated form of Washington).

I have loved finding old maps and studying the area. You can see the train tracks on this current map where the train depot in Washington once sat.

 

Current Google map showing once was Washington (across river from Sacramento)

the red circle highlights the train tracks built for the Washington depot 

With each story, I have expanded my town a bit or the surrounding area building on what I first started. In my fictional town there is currently one main street, one schoolhouse, one church, and the ranches north of town raise cows.

 

Best-laid Plans Series

Three young women. One new beginning. A journey of faith, friendship, and unexpected love. It’s 1869 and three young women travel to Sacramento, California, ready to begin new lives as teachers in the rural one-room schoolhouses of the West. But the plans they carefully laid soon give way to something far greater. As God gently redirects their paths, each woman discovers lessons in friendship, faith, and trust—and encounters the most surprising gift of all: love. (No Plan at all is a prequel story with side characters.)

 

Denise M. Colby writes historical romance sweetened with faith, hope, and love. She finds history fascinating and contemplates often how it was to live in the 1800's. Her debut novel, When Plans Go Awry, is a 2025 Carol Award finalist. Sign up for her newsletter at

www.denisemcolby.com or follow Denise on Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, Pinterest, or GoodReads.