| Summary: | About 1907 or 1908, when the automobiles started coming out, the Millers got the Ford agency and filled the country with Model T's. And about 1909 or 1910 another son of Mr. Miller, William, had to retire from the ministry back east because of loss of voice, so he joined the firm. He was a licensed mortician, so that was another line added to the firm's business. The old original store building was used for embalming and casket storage. It was also at about this time that another son, Robert, finished his medical training at McGill University, and he came to Ambrose. However, there were already three or four doctors in Ambrose, so he went out to Froid, Montana, and practised there for a few years before going out to Victoria, B. C. About 1913 or 1914, the two senior members retired and moved to Victoria, B. C. The firm then gave up its incorporated status and became a four-way partnership, composed of William, James, and Harry Miller and Archie Shaw, a son of the original Hugh. The firm continued in business, adapting to changing conditions. The second floor was converted into sleeping rooms, and many of the children from the farms lived there while going to High School. The John Deere line of farm machinery was added, including tractors, as horse farming disappeared, A large brick garage was built on the south side of the store building as ears became more popular, and the Model A and the V-8 replaced the Model T. All of the Miller members of the firm died leaving Archie Shaw as the only member of the firm. In the 1940's the garage was sold, and in 1950 the store was sold. The store building has since then changed hands several times, but it is still familiarly known as "Miller's Store", and is often used as a starting point in giving directions to any other building or home in Ambrose. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The Presbyterian congregation was formed way back in the very early days of Ambrose, but the exact date cannot be given, as the congregation has disbanded and most of the early founders are no longer among us. I would guess that the members first met in the homes of the members, as was so often true of young and small congregations. After A. Miller and Sons built the new store in 1907 they met in the smaller hall on the second floor. It was about 1910 that the church building was started. One of the first ministers was a Reverend Hodson. Another of the early ones was Reverend J. P. Schell, known as "Grampa Schell" by most of the children in the community. He gave a red letter New Testament to nearly every child in the .Sunday School. Other ministers were Rev. Williams, Rev. Babylon, and Rev. Payton. In later years we shared a minister with Crosby, and Rev. Heberlein and Rev. Adams were two of them. This did not seem to work too well, and the number of Presbyterians in the area was falling off, so services were discontinued. The Sunday School was one of the best things about this church. In the early years the Lutheran Church did not have a Sunday School, so all the children in the community attended the Presbyterian Sunday School. But not only the children, as there were adult classes, too. Will Miller, a retired minister, became the Superintendent as soon as he moved to Ambrose, and continued in the job until he died in 1929. His daughter, Dorothy, was the superintendent of the primary .Sunday School. For several years this Sunday School held a record for the largest regular attendance for a church in a city the size of Ambrose. Often there were over 200 in attendance. Classes were held all over the church as there were no regular classrooms — in the choir loft, the minister's study, the kitchen, and in all corners of the main auditorium and the dining room downstairs. There were several long-term and dedicated teachers who should be mentioned: May D. Bruchman; Emma Turbett; Velma Gehrke; Minnie Miller; and Addie Thomte. Of course, all the school teachers were pressed into service while they were there. There were two outstanding events of the Sunday School year. One was the march by the youngsters from the flag pole to the cemetery on Memorial Day to decorate the graves. Each one carried a little bouquet of wild flowers that he had gathered the day before. Then back to the church for the Memorial Day Service. The other, and far more exciting, was the Christmas program. There were songs and recitations which had been practised for weeks. But more important there was the tree, sacks of nuts and candy for all, and Santa Claus, in the person of Gillis Bailard, shaking his harness bells all the way from the North Pole! It was quite an evening, and was looked forward to by all, not just the Presbyterians. Christian Endeavor, the young peoples' organization, was also held Sunday evenings — both a senior and junior section. In about the mid-40's so many of the Presbyterian crowd had disappeared — died, moved away, young people to college and did not return — that all services were discontinued. In 1951 the few remaining members formally disbanded and turned the church building over to the Presbytery. It was later sold to a Lutheran parish in Fortuna and was moved to that city. I think everyone in Ambrose who is old enough to remember still misses seeing "the little brown church in the vale" where it used to stand on the corner, north east of the flag pole. AMBROSE LUTHERAN CHURCH The Ambrose Lutheran Church was organized in 1905. As with many early churches the first services were held in homes of the members. The first pastor was Rev. R. O. Hjelmeland who served as a mission pastor. Charter members were: Mr. and Mrs. Carl Ebbeson, Ole Sims, Sven Susag, Olaus Ryan, Andreas Ryan, Hcllick Haugland, Oscar Storheim, Mr. Hans Haugland, Andreas Alfson, OIc Henning and Halvor Rue. Pastors who later served the congregation wererO. B. Sanders, Cornelius Sumstad at which time 1914-1916 the present building was erected, George K. Thomjison, R. O. Stoeve, J. W. Rosholt, Christopher Hoversten, O. J. Akre, T. S. Severtson, C. J. Dalseide, S. O. Kvaale, K. Roger Johnson, James Stenslie, and Gary Knabe, the present pastor. The organizations still active branching from the church are the A. L. C. W., Luther League, Sunday School and Bible .School held each summer. 335 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited in Multi-page TIFF Editor.
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