The Presbyterian faith began as part of the Protestant Reformation in the mid 1500’s in Switzerland, under the leadership of John Calvin who is considered the “father” of Presbyterian and Reformed faiths. During the 1600’s as America began to be colonized, large numbers of Presbyterians began to emigrate, bringing their Scotch-Irish Presbyterianism with them. The spread of the faith into Ohio began in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s as settlers moved westward in search of Ohio’s forests, rivers, and potentially rich farmland.