Tn the vicinitv of New Alexandria or better known 
in the eaidv davs as Dennistons Town, there was an early 
Covenanter settlement. TTn<>h Ca™non settled near Perry ?ta 
lion in 17R7. c nml. Patterson in 1707 settled two miles east of 
NTp-w Alexandria on a farm now owned by his grandson W. J. 
P-itte'-cnn David Rrown located on a tract of land on 
\ho White Thorn 'Run. three mi 1 ^s northeast of New Alex- 
andria in the vear 1RO0 The condition of the scattered Cove- 
nanter families and individuals ai this time was indeed try- 
inp r , Besides the privations of frontier life and peril? to which 
thev were continually exposed they were without the public 
preaching" of the Gospel. Their longing desire was that they 
rmVht have an uuder-shepherd, one who would visit them in 
in their homes, who woidd cheer and encourage the living 
and ■-peak words of i omforl and hope to the dying. Thev made 
known their wants to the Eastern Reformed Presbytery. The 
result was thai Presbytery appointed a commission to meet at 
the forks of the Yough on the 1th of Dee. 1800, for the pur- 
pose of moderating in a call. This commission consisted of 
Rev. McKinney, Moderator; Rev. S. B. Wylie, Clerk; and 
Samuel TIavs, elder. This was the First Reformed Presbytery 
held west of the mountains. Samuel Wvlic and John Anderson, 
elders, representing all the Covenanter Societies and in<1i\' 
duals west of the mountains, met with them. After a sermon 
by the Moderator, the form of a blank call was produced and 
the electors being called upon in form unanimously gave their 
votes to Revs. John Black and S. B. Wylie, licentiate as col-' 



REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 21 

iegiate pastors. Rev. Wylie declined, Rev. Black accepted. 
On the 18th of Dec. 1800, Presbytery met in Pittsburgh at 
which time Rev. John Black was installed pastor over all the 
Covanenters of Western Pennsylvania, known as the Pitts- 
burgh Congregation, which included New Alexandria and 
Greensburg. He was to receive the sum of Four Hundred sil- 
ver dollars the first year of his labors. Rev. Black and family 
lived on a farm twelve miles east of Pittsburgh in the Thomp- 
son's Run Society. In later years he lived in Pittsburgh. The 
labors of Rev. Black were abundant are arduous. He would 
leave for a tour of Pastoral Work and be away for several 
weeks at a time. His journeys were on horse back. He was 
exposed to fatigue and danger of all kinds, but he was speciallv 
fitted for missionary work of this kind as he was of a robust 
constitution, never succumb to difficulties nor yielded to dis- 
couragementST Rev. Black was a great man, a fine scholar, an 
able and popular preacher, fie lived to see quite a number of 
I 1 . is preaching stations become organized congregations. Rev. 
Tohn Black, D. D. was born in Ireland in 1768, came to Amer- 
ica in 1797, was married to Elizabeth Watson of Pittsburgh 
in 1802. They had ten children, three sons became ministers 
i if the Reformed Presbyterian Church, one a doctor and Samuel 
the gifted, learned and eloquent lawyer. At the division of 
the church in 1833 Rev. Black became identified with the new 
light brethren. He died at his residence in Pittsburgh in 
April, 1849, aged eighty-one years. 

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