Moses F. Shinn

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Moses Franklin Shinn (January 3, 1809 – 1885) was a pioneer

Freemasons. The incident was probably the only of its kind ever to occur in the history of the Masons.[1] Late in his life, Shinn was reportedly "one of the wealthiest citizens of Omaha".[2]

Biography

Shinn was born in Hillsboro, Ohio in 1809. In 1842 he was a Methodist circuit rider around Birmingham, Iowa. His circuit included Birmingham, Colony, Philadelphia (Kilbourne), Keosauqua, Bentonsport, Bonaparte, Utica, Washington, Winchester, and several private homes throughout Van Buren and Washington counties.[3] Historical records place Shinn in Council Bluffs, Iowa after 1851, when it was noted he was a "fiery Methodist preacher" who some claimed was "as learned in full deck poker as in theology".[4] Around 1851 Shinn was a minister at a settlement in Iowa called Blue Point in Jefferson County.[5] In 1852 he was sent to Council Bluffs.[6] He was the presiding elder of the Council Bluffs District of the Methodist Church, which included work that developed in the new neighboring Nebraska Territory.[7]

Shinn's Addition

Moses Shinn was the first minister in Omaha, estimated to have moved there in 1854.

Forest Lawn Cemetery.[10] In 1876 the North Mission Church, a Methodist Episcopal church, was built in that subdivision, as well.[11]

Shinn's Ferry

Shinn was an early settler in

emigrants following the Platte River. Established in 1859 near the town of Savannah, Nebraska in Butler, then county seat, Shinn's Ferry provided an alternative to both the Loup Fork ferry and the often frustrating ford at Fort Kearney.[13] Thousands of wagons crossed at Shinn's Ferry between 1859 and 1872. Shinn reportedly held daily services for travelers using the ferry.[14]

After a bridge was built downriver at Schyler, Nebraska in 1872, the ferry closed. The town of Savannah lost the county capitol and folded several years later.[15]

Methodist career

In 1884 Moses Shinn was a Methodist minister in Keokuk, Iowa, and a member of the

American West.[1]

Shinn was also instrumental in the development of the Nebraska Territory's first college proposal for Simpson University. Meant to be developed on 100,000 acres (400 km2) of land donated by the federal government, the university never came to fruition.[16]

Death

After accumulating almost $250,000 of land in his time, before his death Shinn became concerned about the wealth he accumulated. He wanted to go to heaven the way the Beatitudes of the Bible told him to, poor. So he gave his wealth away until he was down to assets of $10,000 at the time of his death in 1885. A portion of the money went to help some families, including relatives; however, the majority of it went to building new churches across Iowa and Nebraska.[17] Shinn is reportedly buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery.[9]

See also

  • History of Omaha
  • Founding figures of Omaha, Nebraska

References

  1. ^ a b (1993) "The Preacher who Refused to Renounce Masonry" Scottish Rite Journal article reproduced on an MIT website. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  2. ^ "Colfax County,"Andreas' history of Nebraska. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  3. ^ "Birmingham, Iowa history," Retrieved 8/11/07.
  4. ^ (1907) Council Bluffs Incorporated, History of Pottawatomie County. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  5. ^ Blue Point, Iowa. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  6. ^ (1907) History of Churches. History of Pottawattamie County Iowa Volume I. p. 129. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  7. ^ Morton, J.S. and Watkins, A. "Methodism in Nebraska." Archived 2004-12-28 at the Wayback Machine History of Nebraska; From the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi Region. Lincoln, NE: Western Publishing and Engraving Company. p. 795.
  8. ^ Douglas County. Andreas' history of Nebraska. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  9. ^ a b "Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery"[dead link], Omaha Public Schools. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  10. ^ Omaha's first century, Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  11. ^ Johnson's History of Nebraska. Archived 2007-01-15 at the Wayback Machine p. 306. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  12. ^ Butler County Archived 2007-08-22 at the Wayback Machine, Andreas' history of Nebraska. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  13. ^ Gehling, R. (2007) ""The Merchandisers,"". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2007-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Retrieved 8/10/07.
  14. ^ "Moses Shinn and Shinn's Ferry," Archived 2007-03-30 at the Wayback Machine Walk through Nebraska history. Nebraska State Historical Society. p. 17. Retrieved 8/10/07.
  15. ^ Shinn's Ferry[usurped]. Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  16. ^ Chapter XXV. A history of Nebraska Methodism. Retrieved 8/11/07.
  17. ^ "Priority for the Poor", Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine St. Luke United Methodist Church Sermons. Retrieved 8/11/07.

External links

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