USA > Illinois > Church of the Brethren in southern Illinois > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22
Early in the history of the church quite a number of men were called to the ministry: S. M. Forney, Daniel Trump, Barnett Losh, Joseph Cripe, William Pullen, J. B. Allensworth and George W. Eavey. Peter Bowers, a min- ister, moved into the congregation in October 1869. From March 17 to 27, 1870, Elder George Studebaker from Muncie, Indiana, preached at the Oak Grove schoolhouse, generally twice a day, with seven added to the church by baptism and one reclaimed. Before they had a meetinghouse, services were conducted in the Union and Oak Grove schoolhouses; also meetings were held in the neighborhood of Samsville.
The first church house was built sometime between
59
CONGREGATIONS
1873 and 1875, with much of the material and labor donated. According to the Christian Family Companion and Gospel Visitor, December 7, 1875, the first love feast was held in this house on November 6 and 7, 1875.
During the early years a number of series of meetings were reported in the Brethren at Work: Joseph Hendricks, Daniel Neher and J. P. Horning held meetings at night for a week before the communion in October 1877; Jesse Cal- vert preached in March 1878, with thirteen additions to the church; D. B. Gibson in the spring of 1880 with four bap- tisms; and a number of meetings were held by R. R. Gos- horn of Indiana in 1883.1
Two ministers were elected in 1882: Joseph Cordien and A. C. Califer.
J. M. Forney wrote from Parkersburg, Illinois, in the Gospel Messenger of November 6, 1883: ". . . We contem- plate finishing our meeting house this fall and have it ready for dedication the fourth Sunday in December, as we look for Brother McClure of Christian County at that time." Also, in the Gospel Messenger of December 11, 1883, he wrote: "The members of the Big Creek congregation have set Sunday, the 23rd of December for the dedicatory services of their church house in Richland County, Illinois . . Elder M. J. McClure from Morrisonville is expected to be present." Evidently the church was not dedicated until the following spring, for in the Gospel Messenger of Janu- ary 20, 1885, G. W. Eavey wrote from Parkersburg: “. .. We have a good meeting-house, 35 by 50, which was dedicated the 18th of last May. Brother George Cripe was with us and preached the dedicatory sermon. There are about fifty earnest and working members in this congregation. Brother Michael Forney is our elder . . . . "
A Sunday school was organized on April 24, 1892, with 1 See the Brethren at Work, December 13, 1877; May 30, 1878; May 2, 1880.
60
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
J. C. Forney, grandson of Michael Forney, as the superin- tendent, and an attendance of forty-two. Previous to this, a union Sunday school was held in the Oak Grove school- house near the site of the Brethren church.
About this time J. C. Forney and William T. Wilkinson were elected to the ministry, but both of these ministers later moved to the West-Forney to North Dakota and Wilkinson to California. Later elections to the ministry were that of Dow Ridgely in 1903 and that of A. J. Beeghly in 1907.
1
WALNUT GROVE CHURCH
The church house was rebuilt in 1901. Various activities of the church have been organized. A Christian workers' society was organized on February 14, 1914, and meetings were held with good interest and attendance until most of the young people went away to school or entered nurses' training. The interest later revived, then lapsed; later the B.Y.P.D. held interesting meetings until the rationing of gasoline and tires came during wartime.
A ladies' aid society was organized on December 6, 1916, and met in the homes of members. Reorganized in
61
CONGREGATIONS
1921, it now functions as a part of the women's work program of the church.
On a two-acre tract, located a quarter of a mile east of the church, a conveniently arranged parsonage was built in 1941. Adjoining the church lot is the cemetery, on land donated in an early day by Michael Forney. Also, there is about an acre of land just east of the cemetery and church- yard, formerly used as a hitching lot, which is now in use as a recreation ground.
The following elders have been in charge of the con- gregation: William Elam, Michael Forney, S. M. Forney, John Harshbarger, J. C. Stoner, D. J. Blickenstaff, Dow A. Ridgely, I. D. Heckman, Dolar Ritchey, Oliver Dearing, Glenn Carr and Ausby Swinger.
These resident ministers have served the church: M. Forney, S. M. Forney, John Hart, David Rothrock, Daniel Trump, Barnett Losh, J. B. Allensworth, Joseph Cripe, William Pullen, George W. Eavey, Peter Bowers, J. C. Forney, William Wilkinson, A. J. Beeghly, Dow A. Ridge- WALNUT GROVE PARSONAGE ly, N. S. Dale and E. C. Caw- ley. Pastors were Max Hart- sough and J. Oliver Dearing. Ausby Swinger is the present pastor.
A number of faithful members have gone out from this congregation and contributed to the work of the church in other places. Among these are the S. M. Forneys, the Eli Rothrocks, the Frank Dollalions, the J. C. Forneys, the Ira Michaels, and Bertha Ridgely Swank.
The church is growing in interest and in membership.
62
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
ALLISON PRAIRIE (1865-)
The Allison Prairie church is situated five miles east of Pinkstaff, although for many years the church was about six miles northeast of Lawrenceville. The prairie-Allison Prairie-is on the west bank of the Wabash River, and is about six miles wide and three times that long.
The first meetings by the Brethren in Lawrence Coun- ty were held in the Russelville schoolhouse in June 1860 by Elders George Long and Jacob Summers of Owen Coun- ty, Indiana, and Michael Forney of Richland County, Illinois. In August 1860 Elders M. Forney and Samuel Forney, as- sisted by a minister, John Hart-all of Richland County- held meetings at the Russelville Center and Plank Road schoolhouses in Allison Township. Regular meetings were held by some of these ministers, once every month. The resident members and the territory belonged to the Big Creek congregation in Richland County until June 1865, when the members living in Lawrence County were organ- ized into a church called Allison Prairie. Elder Michael Forney was in charge; John Hart was their resident min- ister, having moved there in 1861; William Tamset and John Michaels were deacons. The sixteen charter members were: Philip Bible and wife (who had moved there from Virginia and were the first resident members), John Hart and wife, William Tamset and wife, John Michaels and wife, Ephraim White and wife, and Brethren Eaks, Hester, and Bryan and their wives.
Elder Ira Calvert moved to Allison Prairie on Febru- ary 20, 1866, and the following summer accepted the office of elder of the congregation, preaching nearly every Lord's Day; he filled appointments at four different meeting places in the county. The first love feast was held in Elder Calvert's
63
CONGREGATIONS
barn in September 1868. The membership in July 1870 num- bered twenty-three.
Elder Calvert was killed in an accident by a runaway team on June 6, 1871. Absolom Hyre of La Motte Prairie was chosen elder in the spring of 1872. Three were elected to the ministry in 1875; Jacob Gerhart, T. M. Calvert, and J. H. Jellison.
In 1877 two series of meetings were held: the first in May by Elder John Metzger, as a result of which twelve were baptized; and in August by Jesse Calvert of Warsaw, Indiana, with twenty-nine baptisms. Brother T. M. Calvert, of Allison Prairie, reported in the Primitive Christian and Pilgrim of December 11, 1877: “. .. We number about sev- enty-two members, forty of which have been baptized during the past year. Our Sabbath school closed on the 28th of last month. It was the first Sunday School ever held in this part by the brethren . . . . "
J. M. Gerhart donated an acre of land to the church, and a meetinghouse was built on that site, six miles north- east of Lawrenceville, Illinois. George Cripe of Indiana was the contractor-carpenter. On November 3, 1878, the new meetinghouse was dedicated with an appropriate address by Elder Isaac Billheimer.1 Samuel Forney was chosen elder on October 19, 1878. Edmon Davis was elected to the ministry on May 3, 1880, when the church membership num- bered eighty-five.
Elders-in-charge after this time were: Menno Stauffer; J. H. Jellison; John Harshbarger; D. B. Gibson; S. W. Gar- ber, who was pastor-elder for eighteen years; O. B. Redenbo; G. W. Miller; N. H. Miller for sixteen years; D. C. Ritchey; and Glenn Carr.
Other ministers elected by this congregation were Ken- neth Fisher, William Ritchey, and Durwood Hayes. On
1 Brethren at Work, November 28, 1878
64
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
August 10, 1947, Max Fisher was installed into the full min- istry and his wife was licensed for one year.
In 1914 a parsonage was built on two acres of ground which were donated by J. H. Jellison. Pastors who have served this church are: S. W. Garber, O. B. Redenbo, N. H. Miller, D. M. Brower, G. W. Miller, C. I. Weber, William P. Dillon, D. C. Ritchey, and Glenn Carr.
ALLISON PRAIRIE CHURCH
In April 1942, for an airplane training field, the War Department took over nearly three thousand acres, includ- ing the land where the church and parsonage stood, paying $3,765.00 for the properties with the privilege given to the church of buying the buildings back at a salvage price of $885.00. Four acres of land were secured one and a half mile north of the old site and the buildings were moved there; the present site is five miles east of Pinkstaff. During the moving and remodeling of the church, services were held in the Glade schoolhouse, adjoining the new site. The
65
CONGREGATIONS
เรียก
church properties were re- dedicated on September 27, 1942, Elder Otho Winger of North Manchester, Indiana, delivering the address.
Women's work was or- ganized in 1913 and has con- tinued active, raising funds for local needs and for a num- ALLISON PRAIRIE PARSONAGE ber of relief projects. Various books have been studied by the group. Men's work began in 1938 and was reorganized in 1944. As a group the men farmed and had a God's Acre project. An active young peo- ple's organization, holding weekly meetings, has study pe- riods and programs and helps in local and district projects.
From 1914 to 1942, two hundred eleven persons were baptized in this congregation; the membership in 1942 reached a total of one hundred eleven and the membership in 1948 was one hundred forty-three.
BUSHNELL (1865-1879)
Bushnell was a part of the Upper Fulton church until 1865, when it was organized as a separate congregation. The first official body was composed of A. G. Black (min- ister), John Pool, Sr., and Henry Zuck (deacons). Two min- isters were elected in 1867: John L. Myers and Jacob Bur- gard. Joseph Meyer wrote in the Primitive Christian of August 22, 1867:
The Bushnell congregation in McDonough and Fulton counties, Ill. has appointed a communion meeting on Saturday and Sunday, the 2nd and 3rd of September next, at the home of Henry Zug, near Ellisville in Fulton county seven or eight miles east of Prairie City
66
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
station ... from which place a stage is running daily to Ellisville, right past the place of meeting . ...
In 1875 John Pool, Jr., was elected to the ministry and A. G. Black was ordained elder and took charge of the Bushnell church. Elder Daniel Vaniman, in the Brethren at Work, June 27, 1878, wrote of attending a communion meet- ing in Brother Cook's barn and related that on the follow- ing Sunday Brother John Pool was forwarded to the second degree of the ministry.
Because of the growing size of the congregation, a divi- sion of church territory was made in the year 1879 and the name, Bushnell, was then dropped; the northern part of the territory was called Spring Run and the southern part was called Camp Creek.
URBANA (1863-1904)
Elder John Metzger was the first Brethren minister to hold meetings in Champaign County, where George Dilling and wife had been the first Brethren settlers at a place five miles east of Urbana, Illinois. With Elder John Metzger in charge, the Urbana church was organized in 1863.
The first minister to settle there was John Barnhart of Woodford County, who gave the following account of some of the early activities of the Urbana church, in a letter writ- ten to the Christian Family Companion, July 31, 1866:
I came here in February and found a small body of breth- ren. Since I have been here, I have been much encouraged in see- ing the interest manifested . ... We had a council meeting on the last Saturday in June, Brother John Metzger presiding. We had an election for one visit brother; the lot fell upon Brother George Dill- ing. We now have an organized church here, and we will say to the brethren who desire to move to Illinois, "Give us a call and see our country . .
Among the early Brethren who settled in Champaign County were John P. Baily, a deacon, and several members
67
CONGREGATIONS
from Ohio who came to the vicinity of Thomasboro, Illinois.
The first communion service in Champaign County was held at the home of George Dilling on the twelfth and thirteenth of October 1867. Love feasts were usually held at the homes of members; in 1868 one was held five miles east of Urbana, and in 1869 the meeting was held six miles north- east of Urbana and four miles east of Thomasboro.
In a period of a few years, three young men were elected to the ministry: about 1867, Aaron B. Snyder; John H. Moore on September 18, 1869; and Noah Kinsey one or two years later.
It was in 1869 that John Barnhart, of Urbana, wrote in the Christian Family Companion of May 18:
After meeting we gave an invitation. There was an old man who came and made application to be received by baptism. We made arrangements and I baptized the old father in the Sangamon river. When we went to the water, I made some inquiry about his age; ac- cording to the family record he was one hundred years old last March.
A few years after this, John Barnhart moved from this congregation and the preaching was left to the three young ministers, Aaron Snyder, J. H. Moore, and Noah Kinsey. Then the church was strengthened when, in 1871, John Lear and Mattie, his wife, moved to the locality. Mattie Lear was a very well educated woman with a good knowledge of science, history and theology, and she did a considerable amount of writing for the Brethren periodicals.1
Concerning the growth of this church, J. H. Moore wrote in the Pilgrim of November 19, 1872: "This church was or- ganized about five years ago with only eight members and now consists of more than seventy, in a healthy and flour- ishing condition."
In 1875 A. J. Bowers, a minister from Indiana, settled there and that year a meetinghouse was built four miles east
1 Christian Family Companion, 1871; The Pilgrim, November 25, 1873; March 9 and September 14 of 1875
68
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
of Urbana. After seven years of experience in the min- istry, J. H. Moore moved from this church to Lanark to become the editor of the Brethren at Work. Two years later, after visiting the Urbana church, he said that there were almost a hundred members scattered over Champaign County, with but one minister, A. J. Bowers; he added that there were nine places where meetings ought to be held. The Brethren had preached at Penfield, Rantoul, St. Joseph, and other points.
After this time the records are meager, but indications are that through the years the membership gradually de- creased. Elders who served the Urbana church were: John Metzger, Menno Stauffer, John Barnhart, J. H. Baker, A. J. Bowers, and S. Heitz. The Urbana church was disorganized in 1904.
HUDSON (1865-1926)
A number of Brethren families moved from Pennsyl- vania and West Virginia and settled in McLean County, near Hudson, about nine miles north of Bloomington. In 1865 James R. Gish and George Gish organized this body of twenty-one members into a church. The first official body was composed of: Michael Lyon, elder; Thomas D. Lyon and Joseph Michael, ministers; John Y. Snavely, Abraham Blough, and Moses Snavely, deacons.
In the Hudson congregation, Alvin Pollock and Urias Blough were elected to the ministry. In 1875 a meetinghouse was built about two miles north of Hudson and dedicated on September 17, with a love feast held that same evening.
During the long ministry of T. D. Lyon, Mattie A. Lear located at Hudson and, authorized to preach, very ably filled the pulpit, alternating with Elder Lyon. In 1900 D. J. Blickenstaff of Oakley moved to Hudson and continued three
69
CONGREGATIONS
years as part-time pastor; he was ordained on December 6, 1901, and given charge of the church. Interest was revived through various evangelistic efforts. Elder J. H. Neher fol- lowed as pastor and elder; the church building was moved to Hudson and various improvements were made. With but few members, there was a gradual decline, and in 1926 the church requested disorganization, which was effected, let- ters of membership being granted to all members. The pro- ceeds from the sale of the church property were given to the district mission board for use in the district.
Through the years the following elders served the Hud- son church: Michael Lyon, T. D. Lyon, Solomon Bucklew, D. J. Blickenstaff, J. H. Neher, S. W. Garber, J. W. Switzer and W. T. Heckman.
MILMINE (1866-1905)
The Milmine church was the east part of the Cerro Gordo, Macon County church (now Oakley). Because the membership became too large and scattered for convenience in worship, a division was made in 1866; the east part was called Milmine and the south part Okaw (now La Place). The road at the east edge of Cerro Gordo was the dividing line.
A group of Brethren families from Indiana bought and improved farms a few miles northwest of Milmine. Among these were three brothers-Henry, David and Lewis Kuns. Other families of members located in this community and held meetings in schoolhouses. John Wyne, who came from Virginia about 1867, was one of the early ministers.
In 1867 a church house was built on the farm of Henry Kuns. The church was presided over by Elders John Metz- ger, David Troxel, D. B. Gibson, G. W. Cripe and S. Heitz. The following ministers were elected: Henry Kuns
70
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
and Daniel Mohler, 1881; S. Heitz, 1891; Heister Landes, 1894.
Although Milmine was a growing, prosperous church for a time, the membership was greatly reduced through emigration. In 1905 the church was disorganized and merged with the adjoining congregations of Cerro Gordo and Okaw. The church house was moved five miles south into the Okaw territory (near the Centennial schoolhouse) and rededicated as the Centennial church house.
The records of the Milmine church have been lost.
OKAW-LA PLACE (1866-)
While the Cerro Gordo, Macon County church (now Oakley), was the first center of Brethren activities in this region, other settlements were being made that soon led to the organization of new congregations. Sometime in the 1850's, several Brethren families moved from Clinton and Tippecanoe counties in Indiana and settled in what was then known as the Seven Mile Grove-it was seven miles southeast of Cerro Gordo. Prominent among these families were those of John Kuns and Daniel Cripe, the latter a min- ister who spoke in German, and Henry Troxel, a minister. Solomon Pipinger moved there from Wisconsin. In 1863 Robert Edgecomb, a minister from Allen County, Ohio, moved to a location at the southern end of the Grove. In 1865 Abraham Ritchie, also a minister, came from Pennsyl- vania and located northeast of Sullivan. About that time a number of Brethren families came from Indiana and settled on what is called the Ridge, about five miles southwest of Cerro Gordo, including families of Samuel Ulrey, Leonard Fouts, Daniel Wagner; also the Cripe families, who made their homes six miles northwest of the Seven Mile Grove.
71
CONGREGATIONS
Up to the year 1866 they all belonged to the Cerro Gordo, Macon County church (now Oakley), and were presided over by Elder John Metzger.
In 1866 a division of church territory was made. The part south of the William Street Road, now Route 105, took the name of Okaw from a stream near by. The twenty-six charter members included four preachers and three deacons. They chose John Metzger as their elder.
For about ten years they were without a meetinghouse, but services were held in schoolhouses and communions in residences or in barns. About 1866 the first communion was held in the barn of Leonard Fouts on the Ridge; in the fall of 1867 one was held at the home of Jacob Wolfe in the Grove, in a shed made of lumber which was furnished by Daniel Oakes. In 1868 another was held on the Ridge, at the home of J. P. Replogle; the services were held on the porch, Elder Joseph Hendricks officiating. Regular meetings were held in schoolhouses; most prominent among these were the Grove and the Ridge schoolhouses, where meetings were held alternately, every two weeks. Brother John Ar- nold wrote in an unpublished account:
It was a very common sight to see those earnest old brethren on Sunday morning, lined out across the then unoccupied prairie, winding around ponds and crossing sloughs, some on horseback, some in lumber wagons, and a few in their quaint so-called carry- alls (and that name was very appropriate for they were used in go- ing to town, to the mill, to the shop, and to church). Through driv- ing snow storms, zero weather, pelting rains, mud and heat, they at- tended services.
In the winter of 1869 Robert Edgecomb and John Ar- nold drove eighteen miles through zero weather to hold a meeting near Bethany. On Sunday they drove two and a half miles to a stream where eight inches of ice was cut and baptism was administered.
Their council meetings and first Sunday schools were held in the Grove schoolhouse. In 1875 a church house was
72
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
built one-half mile east of La Place on the Wolfe farm. Elder Jacob Waggoner, his wife and her mother paid almost half of the cost, which was over $3,300.00 There was no dedicatory service, but the first sermon was preached by Brother Martin Neher, followed by Elder Jacob Waggoner. Ministers from the Methodist church and the Church of God were present and took part in the services. J. P. Replogle reported in the Christian Family Companion and Gospel Visitor, May 4, 1875: "The church of Okaw is in a prosperous condition at present. There are about one hundred thirty members; six ministers and six deacons."
There was a group of members near Tuscola, among them Kalen Heckman, who wrote in the Brethren at Work of August 6, 1877:
There have been three souls added to the church since our last notice, making altogether now, fifteen in number, and if I am not mistaken it has been only about two years since the first member was baptized by the brethren of the Okaw church . .. this church being about twenty-five miles east of that place.
In September of the same year, Kalen Heckman reported that the Brethren of Tuscola had a council meeting on Sep- tember 1 and elected two deacons, George Bowers and Moses Stutsman.1 In 1878 eleven members had moved from Tuscola, reducing the number from nineteen to eight, and Kalen Heckman moved to Cornell, Illinois.
George W. Cripe, then of Indiana, held a series of meet- ings in 1877, the first revival to be held in the church house, at which time there were thirty-six conversions. The next year a number of the Okaw members moved to Kansas. Probably because of personal interest felt in knowing some people in Kansas, the Okaw and adjoining churches made a liberal donation for Kansas relief in 1895; a carload of corn, ground into meal, and clothing was sent and dis- tributed to three hundred thirty families.2 It was in 1881
1 Brethren at Work, September 17, 1877
2 Gospel Messenger, February 19, 1895
73
CONGREGATIONS
that permission was given to hold a Sunday school in the church.
In 1901 the church house was moved into La Place to its present location and a re- dedicatory sermon was preached by Elder John Wright. In 1904 the old Mil- mine church was rebuilt at a site five miles northeast of LA PLACE PARSONAGE La Place and called Centen- nial church house. This house of worship was dedicated on October 2, 1904, by Elder Jacob Wyne. The city of Decatur was largely in the Okaw territory and came under the supervision of the Okaw church. In 1908 a church house was built in Decatur by the district mission board and the Okaw church. In 1942 the Okaw church came into possession of a splendid parsonage, the gift of Brother George Ulrey, a deacon for many years, coupled with a cash donation of $500.00 from Elder Jacob Wyne. With money left to the church by Rachel Phillips an electric organ was bought and installed in 1949.
These ministers have been elected in this congregation: John Arnold, 1876; S. S. Younger, 1879; S. S. Miller, 1884; William L. Bingaman; Jacob Wyne and Isaac Brubaker, 1894; William I. Buckingham, 1897; John Hudson and S. G. Nickey, 1899; George W. Miller, 1902; William Haynes, 1906; Noah H. Miller and Albert Wolfe, 1907; Amos R. Eiken- berry and J. Elmer Wagoner, 1909; Eldo Henricks, 1919; Glenn Garber, 1924; Howard Kreider and James Claytor, 1929. Other resident ministers were: Robert Edgecomb, Abraham Ritchie, Henry Troxel, Kalen Heckman, John Wyne, Jacob Ulrey, Phillip Souders, Amos Leedy, R. E. Burger, Daniel Mohler, Alonzo Leslie, Heister Landes and
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.