In the beginning was the wilderness and a small but doughty group of pioneers who had come to be known as the Chartiers Settlement. The year was 1775. Washington County, Pennsylvania would not come into existence for six more years. The settlers "on the waters of Chartiers" were subjects of His Majesty, King George the Third, Ruler of the British Empire. With few exceptions, they considered themselves to be inhabitants of Augusta County, Virginia.

That April, at Lexington, Massachusetts, "the shot heard round the world" was fired. A month later, a committee met at Pittsburgh and resolved unanimously to approve the New Englanders’ action in opposing "the invaders of American rights and privileges."

The heated dispute between Virginia and Pennsylvania over the jurisdiction of this region was at its height. Indian atrocities and massacres would occur with increasing frequency over the next fifteen years. Into this boiling caldron of war and political disturbance came two prodigious men of God, John McMillan and Matthew Henderson.

Much has been recorded about these two pastors, but little about the devout, God-fearing men and women that formed their first congregations. No list is known of the first members of the Chartiers Associate Presbyterian congregation as it existed in 1775, but we do know the names of the four elders who signed the call issued to Matthew Henderson in 1779. They were James Scott, Nicholas Little, John White, and David Reed. Two of the four are remembered in history because of their mention in George Washington’s diary.

David Reed had emigrated from Lancaster County. He and James Scott, among others, purchased claims to land on "the waters of Miller’s Run," presently the Venice-Southview area. However, it later developed that General Washington had been granted this same land by the Colony of Virginia.

In 1784, on his only visit to this area, Washington lodged with John Canon and from here went to visit his land. On September 19, he noted in his diary, "Being Sunday, and the People living on my Land apparently very religious, it was thought best to postpone going among them till tomorrow."

The next day General Washington dined at David Reed’s log house and met with the settlers, who were reported to be "mostly Seceders," another name for the members of the Associate Presbyterian Church. Washington wrote, "Dined at David Reed’s after which Mr. James Scott and Squire Reed began to enquire whether I would part with the Land and upon what terms."

The diary of Washington continues, "I told them I had no inclination to sell, however, after hearing a great deal of their hardships, their religious principles and unwillingness to separate or remove … concluded by making offers, which after long consultation the settlers refused. All chose to stand suit and abide the issue of the law."

The court ruled that Washington’s title to the land was the valid one; so, shortly thereafter, most of the settlers purchased new claims nearby in what is now Cecil and Chartiers Townships where they were still within walking distance of their meeting house at Oak Spring.

These Seceders of whom Washington writes were some of the founders of Chartiers Church. They were men and women of courage and strong conviction. They had forsaken their homes east of the mountains — left their families, friends, churches, schools, and the safety and conveniences of the settlements to seek a life of greater opportunity on the frontier.

The moral tenor of the church community was controlled to a great extent by the judicatory actions of session. The minutes of early session meetings give accounts of judicial proceedings at which the session was both judge and jury. If an accused felt unjustly treated by the session, he or she could appeal its decision to Presbytery, but this rarely occurred.

The sins for which the members were called before the session were diverse. They included lying, quarreling, intoxication, blasphemy, "hard speaking," thievery, fornication, and many others. Some, to us, seem trivial and certainly not sinful —such as "occasional hearing" or "irregular marriage" which included not giving previous publication and being married by someone other than a minister of your own denomination.

One of the more unusual occurrences was the trial of the woman who put stones in her butter that she sent to Pittsburgh to be sold. The stones increased the weight of the butter, but they also resulted in her being "sessioned" and her sin publicized before the congregation.

Much has been written about the use and manufacture of whiskey by the early settlers. It was considered a household necessity at this time. It was also a prime commodity for trade purposes, and stills were common on local farms. But intoxication was looked upon as a sin and was not tolerated in the Presbyterian denominations.

A report of a church member being intoxicated resulted in the accused being immediately confronted by the session of his church. On one such occasion a Canonsburg resident had the misfortune "to fall off his horse intoxicated, in front of the door of Mr. McMillan’s meeting house and he could not rise for some time." The Presbyterian penchant for order in all things was, without a doubt, maintained by a diligent and God-fearing session.

Many of the pioneer settlers were young; then, as now, the young were venturesome. A young man would come West to the frontier, secure land, clear a portion of it, erect a cabin, and then return East to marry. He would return with his bride and the few necessities they possessed the following Spring.

Their lifestyle was completely changed — but not their faith or perseverance. A home, a meeting house in which to worship God, and a school to educate their children were considered immediate essentials, and the settlers willingly sacrificed to establish them in that order.

Henderson and McMillan were illustrious examples of God’s servants, but no more than the courageous Scotch-Irish Presbyterian pioneers who called them to be their pastors. The one constant that sustained them, through unbelievable adversities, was their steadfast faith In God.