Delivered in Allen Temple A. M. E. Church. 27
neglect of duty and found guilty, and were expelled. But the
administration, on the whole, was a good one, and the church
still feels the effect of the work clone by Bishop Shorter. Dur¬
ing his administration, the noble women of the church formed
a society called the Freedmen's Aid Society. Mrs. Eliza Gordon
was President, and Lottie Step, Secretary. The object of the
association was to help the freedmen from the south to find
homes, and shelter all who had no place to go. The house
back of the old chapel was used for a hospital, and many of
the poor men and women died; there has been as high as four
iu the room dead at one time. The government gave this
society rations to distribute to the needy, and much good did
they do. May the God of the earth bless the survivors with
long life and an abundant inheritance in the heaven of rest.
Elder Shorter was elected Bishop by the general conference
in 1868, and has done a great work for the church and race since.
He has charge of the First Episcopal District, which is composed
of the Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, and New England
conferences. His residence is at Wilberforce University.
Rev. Edward D. Davis was appointed to this station in 1866,
and came and took charge of the church. He labored some
time, but the seed of death was sown. After a brief illness he
departed this life, in great peace, at the residence of James and
Martha Clark. The congregation, in his death, realized their
great loss, for they had just begun to love him. He was a man
of mental endowments, which were sanctified with a good portion
of the fire and of the Holy Ghost. No one knew him but to love
him. He was a model man, and had, for a number of years,
been principal of the Manual Labor Seminary of the Ohio Annual
Conference, situated in Franklin county.
Rev. Philip Tolliver, Jr., succeeded the Rev. E. D. Davis, and
was much beloved by all the members while he staid in the city;
he exercised a salutary influence over the community. His
labors were crowned by the good master by the accession of
many souls to the church. He continued in charge until the
conference at Lexington, when he was appointed to Riply station,
where he remained for several years. From there he went to
Portsmouth, where he labored with signal success, and his works
were appreciated by all men, white and black. From there he
was sent to Chillicothe station, where he is doing a noble work
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