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

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

minister in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. Aside from founding Omaha's first cemetery, called Prospect Hill, he was also renowned for renouncing his Methodist affiliation in

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk people, Sauk chief K ...

in order to remain a member of the

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

s. The incident was probably the only of its kind ever to occur in the history of the Masons.(1993
"The Preacher who Refused to Renounce Masonry"
''Scottish Rite Journal'' article reproduced on an MIT website. Retrieved 8/11/07. Late in his life, Shinn was reportedly "one of the wealthiest citizens of Omaha".

Biography

Shinn was born in

Hillsboro, Ohio Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Highland County, Ohio, United States, approximately west of Chillicothe, Ohio, Chillicothe and east of Cincinnati. The population was 6,481 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Hi ...

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 Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, Winchester, and several private homes throughout Van Buren and

counties. Historical records place Shinn in

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

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". Around 1851 Shinn was a minister at a settlement in Iowa called Blue Point in Jefferson County. In 1852 he was sent to

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

. 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 The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

Shinn's Addition

Moses Shinn was the first minister in Omaha, estimated to have moved there in 1854. He laid out "Shinn’s Addition" just northwest of the city early in Omaha's life."Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery"
Omaha Public Schools. Retrieved 8/11/07. In that section Shinn plotted out for a cemetery, which he called Prospect Hill. This land was eventually sold to Byron Reed, who in turn sold it to the Forest Lawn Cemetery. In 1876 the North Mission Church, a Methodist Episcopal church, was built in that subdivision, as well.

Shinn's Ferry

Shinn was an early settler in Butler County, joining a dozen other settlers listed by the federal government in 1859. He operated an early

rope ferry A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

east of

Columbus, Nebraska Columbus is the county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, situated at the confluence of the Loup River, Loup and Platte River, Platte rivers roughly 85 miles (137 km) west-northwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha and 75 miles (121 km) northwe ...

for

emigrant Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

s following the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

. 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. Thousands of wagons crossed at Shinn's Ferry between 1859 and 1872. Shinn reportedly held daily services for travelers using the ferry. 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.

Methodist career

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

Fort Madison, Iowa Fort Madison is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located alon ...

Masonic Lodge. Shinn was a powerful leader in his church and his Lodge, and reportedly was greatly appreciated by many people. That year local Methodist leadership asked Shinn to increase his participation in the church by requiring him to renounce Masonry and devote all his energy to the church. At the next general conference of the church, a resolution to that end was adopted by Shinn's fellow ministers. In response, Shinn acknowledged the will of his peers and choose to leave the ministry. Seeing this as a powerful example by an admirable man, one of his fellow pastors stood up to ask Shinn to teach him about Masonry and have him inducted into Shinn's lodge. One after another, other ministers joined in the request, and soon Masonry was accepted throughout the Methodist Episcopal Church. That action is said to have influenced the spread of the Freemasons throughout the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...

. Shinn was also instrumental in the development of the

's first college proposal for Simpson University. Meant to be developed on of land donated by the federal government, the university never came to fruition.

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 The Beatitudes () are blessings recounted by Jesus in Matthew 5:3–10 within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and four in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, followed by four woes which mirror the blessings. In ...

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."Priority for the Poor"
''St. Luke United Methodist Church Sermons''. Retrieved 8/11/07. Shinn is reportedly buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery.

References

External links

Photo
of Moses Shinn {{DEFAULTSORT:Shinn, Moses F. Clergy from Omaha, Nebraska People from Council Bluffs, Iowa History of Methodism Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (North Omaha, Nebraska) Pioneer history of Omaha, Nebraska 1809 births 1885 deaths People from Hillsboro, Ohio People from Keokuk, Iowa People from Birmingham, Iowa