USA > Illinois > Greene County > History of Greene county, Illinois: its past and present > Part 30
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 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
F
302
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
C., $1,107; rolling stock, C. & A., $53,584; St. L., $14,674 ; total assess- ment by State Board of Equalization, C. & A., $306,087 ; St. L.$72 .- 847. Equalized value of all railroad property in the county, C. & C., 307,847 ; St. L., $73,322.
The report of the State Auditor gives the following table of local indebtedness in Greene County :
TOWNSHIPS. AND RANGES.
Equalized val.
uation of all
property as-
sessed for
the year 1877
County in-
July 1, 1878.
City, village,
town indebt-
edness, July
indebted-
ness, July 1,
edness out-
standing
July 1, 1878.
Greene County
$ 7,067,358
50,000
$ 50,000
Town 9 & 10, N. R. IO W
817,367
$ 3,558 $
3.500
7,058
516.421
IO W
292, 129
411,77I
250
1,250
1,500
IO
II W.
405,746
335,545
384,740
600
600
378,927
30,000
30,000
II
12 W
676,449
10,000
6,500
16,500
8 & 9
13 & 14 W
134.768
IO
13 & 14 W
296,056
II
13 & 14 W
150,594
187,455
925
925
Total
$ 50,000 $ 13,808 $ 42,775
$106,583
A LIST OF THE COUNTY OFFICERS OF GREENE COUNTY,
FROM THE DATE OF ITS ORGANIZATION IN 1821, TO 1879, FURNISHED BY GEO. H. HARLOW, SECRETARY OF STATE.
DATE OF COMMISSION.
OFFICE.
NAMES.
February 12, 1821, . County Judge,
John G. Lofton.
Sheriff,
Thomas Carlin.
April 14, 1821, .6 66
Coroner,
Jacob Waggoner.
July 2, 66
Surveyor,
Robert Avery.
August 11, "
Recorder,
John G. Lofton.
June 27, 1822,
County Judge,
A. Bowman.
August 22, "
County Judge,
Abraham Bowman.
September 5, 1822,
Sheriff,
Young Wood.
Coroner,
Christian Link.
January 13, 1823, .
Recorder,
Samuel Lee, Jr.
February 17,
County Judge,
Alfred M. Cavarly.
May 7, .6
Surveyor.
Robert Avery.
September 2, 1824,
Coroner,
Christian Link.
December 30, "
Sheriff,
Young Wood.
II
IO W
I2
66
II W
9
II
I'2
II W
9
I2 W
IO
I2 W
1, 189,914
I2
12 W.
889,476
12
13 & 14 W
debted ness
and incorp'd
1, 1878.
School district
Total indebt-
1878.
II W
303
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
DATE OF COMMISSION.
January 6, 1825, .
18, 66 66
September 25, 1826,
December 5,
Sheriff,
Young Wood.
John Brown.
October 13, "
December 14, 1827,
September 11, 1828, 66 January 23, 1829,
66
February 17, 1830,
August 30,
66
Coroner,
Philip N. Rampy.
Sheriff,
Jacob Fry. V John W. Skidmore,
January " 1831,
February 10, 1831, . September 5, 1832, 66 66
August 16, 1834,
66
January 24, 1835,
February 12,
August 13,
66 66 18, 1836,
September 11, 1837, October 17,
August 24, 1838, .
66
66
66
August 17, 1839,
County Judge, Recorder,
Charles Lancaster.
Surveyor, Sheriff,
C. C. Dodge. Hugh Jackson.
Coroner,
John N. Whitlock.
Recorder,
John D. Fry .~
Sheriff,
Hugh Jackson.
Coroner,
James Hopkins. Mathias S. Link.
Recorder,
John D. Fry.
Surveyor,
Christopher C. Dodge.
Coroner, Coroner,
John N. Whitlock.
Sheriff,
Hugh Jackson.
John S. Fry. ~
Hugh Jackson.
Coroner,
NAMES.
Surveyor,
William Scott.
Public Administrator,
John Allen.
County Judge,
Alfred M. Cavarly.
Coroner,
Christian Link.
March 29, 1827,
County Judge,
Robert Avery.
Samuel C. Pierce.
Public Administrator, Sheriff,
Jacob Fry.
Coroner,
Peter Fronk.
Surveyor,
Samuel Smith.
Public Administrator, Recorder,
William B. Whittaker.
September 28, "
Recorder,
Recorder,
John Evans.
Public Administrator,
William Carlin.
Sheriff,
Jacob Fry ..
Coroner,
John N. Whitlock.
Coroner,
John Whitlock.
Sheriff,
Jacob Fry.
Surveyor,
Job Collins.
County Judge,
Lewis W Link.
Recorder,
David Pierson.
Surveyor,
Job Collins.
Sheriff,
Jacob Fry.
Coroner,
James G. Berry.
County Judge,
David Meade Woodson.
Sheriff,
Young Wood.
Surveyor,
J. M. Hurd.
Sheriff,
John D. Fry. -
Coroner,
John N. Whitlock.
Calvin Tunnell.
66
66 " 1840, 66 7, 1841, 8, 1842,
66
66 25, 1843, 66
66
66
.
John N. Whitlock.
26, 1844, 66 27, September 3, " May 21, 1845, August 27, 1846,
County Judge,
Public Administrator, Sheriff,
Richard Ellis.
OFFICE.
Surveyor,
Samuel C. Pierce.
304
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
DATE OF COMMISSION.
August 27, 1846, January 4, 1847,
August 9,
.
Recorder, Surveyor,
William H. Ellis.
Mathias S. Link.
Zachariah A. Morrow.
James Medford. Mathias S. Link.
Francis P. Vedder.
William H. Ellis.
Coroner,
Clerk Circuit Court,
Elected Sept. 4, 1848, November 20, 1850, Sheriff,
10, 1851,
23, 1852,
66
”
16, 1853,
. County Justice, County Justice,
L. E. Worcester. Thos. I. Short.
F. P. Vedder.
County Surveyor,
S. Heaton.
Jos. Pierson.
Hugh Jackson.
14, 1855, .
Surveyor,
Circuit Clerk,
Abraham Spencer.
66
·
Sheriff,
Lemuel J. Potterson.
Coroner,
Marshall Dulany.
Charles D. Hodges.
Linus E. Worcester.
Clerk,
Surveyor, County Treasurer, . School Commissioner,
Appointed by the Court November 30, 1858, .
Sheriff,
Coroner,
County Judge, 66 Justice,
Thomas H. Boyd. Levi T. Whiteside. Henry Bonfoy. William L. Green.
Surveyor, County Treasurer, . School Commissioner,
Circuit Clerk,
. Sheriff, Coroner,
14, 1861,
OFFICE.
Recorder, Public Administrator,
66 66
" 18, 66
" 17, 1848, ' 23, "
November 13, 1849,
.
66
. County Judge, Sheriff, Coroner, County Judge, Clerk County Court, Surveyor,
R. R. Nickols. William Carlin. William Halbut.
Coroner,
Surveyor,
Sheriff,
Zachariah A. Morrow.
Coroner,
Marshall Dulaney.
Clerk Circuit Court, County Judge,
Abram Spencer. Charles D. Hodges.
School Commissioner, Sheriff, Coroner,
Marshall Dulany.
Samuel Heaton.
17, 1856,
1857, .
County Judge, Justice, .
Thomas J. Short. Francis P. Vedder. Henry Bonfoy. William L. Green. Joseph Pierson. James B. Samuel. Jordan Larkin. Anderson Headrick.
March 2, 1859, . .
November 18, 1859, .
November 15, 1860, .
66
66
Stephen F. Corrington. James S. Vedder. Jacob Bowman.
Anderson Headrick. Jehosaphat E. Bridges. Thomas H. Boyd.
County Judge,
NAMES. Abram Spencer. John S. Fry. Abraham Spencer.
66
66
November 13, 1874, .
66
County Clerk,
Marshall Dulaney. Samuel Heaton.
305
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
DATE OF COMMISSION.
November 14, 1861, .
December 6, 66 66
November 13, 1862, .
66
66
20, 1863, . 66
December 8, 1864,
November 17, 1865, .
66 " . Surveyor,
12, 1866, 66
20, 1867, .
66
17, 1868, is 66 66
December 2, 1869,
66
66
66
66
3, 1870,
66
November 16, 1871, 66
20, 1872,
Circuit Clerk,
N. J. Andrews.
John J. Fitzsimmons. John Johns.
Linus E. Worcester.
Leander R. Lakin.
Joseph Rickart.
Mrs. Catherine Hopkins.
January 66 1874,
60
66
66
Joseph F. Ballinger.
November 21, 1874, .
66
66
Sheriff,
Frank M. Bridges.
27,
Henry P. Nash.
State's Attorney, Henry C. Withers.
County Treasurer, .
Richard H. Short.
November 26, 1875, . 66 County Commissioner, William B. Robinson.
OFFICE.
66 Clerk,
Surveyor,
Henry Bonfoy. John Rugle.
Robert Green.
William L. Green.
Coroner,
John D. Jack. Parham Thraxton.
Surveyor, School Commissioner, County Treasurer, .
Circuit Clerk, Sheriff,
Thomas J. Carlin. George W. Coonrod.
Thomas H. Boyd. Samuel Heaton. George W. Davis. Alfred Hinton. Thomas Wright. S. Foster Green. Jay C. White.
Surveyor,
Circuit Clerk,
Thomas J. Carlin.
Sheriff,
James S. Vedder.
Coroner,
Henry Nash. John Rugle. F. M. Fishback.
County Judge, Associate Justice,
J. H. Rives.
County Clerk, Treasurer, .
Geo. W. Davis. N. J. Andrews.
Surveyor,
Supt. of Schools, Sheriff,
Francis M. Bell.
Coroner,
Henry P. Nash.
County Treasurer, Surveyor, .
A. M. Browning. J. C. White. Thomas J. Carlin.
66 Sheriff,
66
March 21, 1873, November 17, 1873,
66
66
66 Treasurer,
66
66
Supt. of Schools, County Commissioner, Curtis W. Brace.
66
66
66 66
Wm. H. Barrow. John H. Green.
Coroner, . August 21, 66
NAMES. William A. Davis.
County Justice,
Sheriff,
L. M. Dyer. Stephen F. Corrington. Nathaniel J. Andrews.
County Judge,
66 County Clerk, Judge,
Coroner, Sheriff,
J. C. White. C. A. Worley.
State's Attorney, Supt. of Schools, County Judge, Clerk,
306
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
DATE OF COMMISSION.
OFFICE.
NAMES.
November 26, 1875,
County Commissioner, George H. Amos.
Surveyor,
Jay C. White.
November 27, 1876, .
29,
Sheriff, . .
John Jones.
December 1,
Circuit Clerk,
James H. Short.
66 1, 1877,
County Judge, Clerk,
Leander R. Lakin.
66
Treasurer,
William D. Gullett.
Supt. of Schools,
David F. King.
December 1, 1877,
County Commissioner, Singleton F. Green.
November 25, 1878,
William M. Mayberry.
December 2, 1878, . Sheriff,
John Jones.
Coroner,
Anderson Headrick.
VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS, ETC.
THE BAPTISTS IN GREENE COUNTY.
The following very clear historical sketch of the Baptists of Greene County, was written especially for this work by Rev. B. B. Hamilton, of White Hall, whose studies and abilities eminently fit him for such a task :
The Baptists of Greene County have always stood in the front rank of religious organizations. They were among the earliest settlers, and were generally followed by ministers of their own body, who gathered the scattered members, and organized churches as interest or convenience seemed to require.
The first church was organized in Carrollton, by Elder William Jones, of Madison County, very soon after the location of the county seat at that place (in 1821). Of this body the late Governor Carlin was at one time a member ; and their first meeting house was a log cabin which stood not very far from the residence of Dr. J. F. Simpson. In the round of years this body migrated eastward, and is now known as the Providence Church. It was originally one of the hyper-Calvinistic anti- Mission Churches. With this church Sears Crane united when he came to Illinois in 1822, and by it he was at a later period ordained as a gospel minister.
The first ordained Baptist minister to settle in Greene County, so far as I can learn, was Aaron Smith, who made his home a little north- west of the present site of White Hall, and gathered a church known as the Apple Creek Church. The date of that organization is not known, but it must have been in 1822, or very early 1823. For as early as April, 1823, Aaron Smith appeared as a messenger from the Apple Creek Church at the organization of the Diamond Grove Church, in Morgan County. A meeting house was built not far from where William Carr's shop now stands, in White Hall. This was a frame building, and Judge Hinton tells that when it was raised, and Col. Gregory, Benjamin Smith, Judge
State's Attorney,
James R. Ward.
Coroner, Anderson Headrick. County Commissioner, William M. Morrow.
12,
Linus E. Worcester.
307
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Cyrus Tolman and himself had mounted the corners, the bottle was passed around, and Judge Tolman christened the new house " Aaron's Delight." Whether the name was ominous of evil or not, the church, through the misconduct of Charles Kitchens, one of its ministers, and the removal of Aaron Smith to Texas, was divided and destroyed. The meeting house became the property of Dr. Hudson, and is now the residence of William A. Porter.
Before the breaking up of this church an " Arm," as it was called, had been gathered west of Roodhouse, and this " Arm " ultimately be- came a church, connected at first with the Apple Creek Association, afterward with the Concord, and by a recent removal of its meeting house, is now located at Barrow Station, near the northern line of Greene County. John Record and Allen Murray have been for the last thirty years the principal ministers. Record died near Winchester several years since.
The next church in the order of time was constituted at the house of Jehu Brown, in what is now Jersey County. It was composed of seven members, among whom were Mrs. Brown, Major and Amy Dod- son. This body was known as the Macoupin Church, and belonged to the Friends to Humanity. Elder John Clark was, for nearly ten years, its principal minister. Major Dodson, and his sons Elijah, Fletcher and Ezekiel, were at various times connected with this church and officiated as ministers. In 1834, Elder Moses Lemen came from Monroe County and settled near Kane, and held the pastorship of this church for more than ten years. In 1838 a meeting house was begun at Homer (old Kane) and completed in the following year. In 1843 Joel Terry removed from St. Clair County to Kane, and was the minister of this church, with occasional intervals of rest, for nearly twenty years, or up to the time of his death. During this time there had been ordained Thomas A. Morton, Ezekiel Dodson, and Henry W. Manning. At a later period a new house was built at the station, which is now occupied by the Kane Church. This is the oldest missionary church in the bounds of Greene County, having been organized in November, 1823. It has not as large a mem- bership as it had forty years ago.
For some two or three years I can not find that any addition was made to the number of churches. But in October, 1826, David R. Chance gathered the Henderson's Creek Church with seven members, and Aaron Hicks and Chauncey Lee were the first baptized into its member- ship. This is now known as the White Hall Church. Its present meet- ing house was erected in 1838, and is now the oldest meeting house in use as such in the county. Its ministers have been Elijah Dodson, Alvin Bailey, Calvin Greenleaf, William Kinner, Joel Sweet, W. H. Briggs, H. T. Chilton and B. B. Hamilton, beside others who have officiated as occasional and stated supplies. It was on this ground that the North District, afterward Carrollton Association, was organized in 1827, the change of name occurring in 1854.
Here, too, in 1834, the Illinois Baptist Convention, since changed to the General Association, was organized. Before the constitution of the present Carrollton Baptist Church, Sears Crane and his wife, Anna, were members of this church. Although it has occupied a very prominent place among the churches of the county, it has never had a very large
308
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
or permanent prosperity. Its membership has been small and has never at any time been in proportion to the population by which it was sur- ronnded.
On the 25th of February, 1827, at the house of Judge John G. Lof- ton, was constituted the Salem Baptist Church, with sixteen members. But as this was wholly in what is now Jersey County, I shall not trace its history or its fortunes.
In April, 1827, was constituted the Carrollton Church, by Elijah Dodson, John Clark and the Lemen Brothers. The particulars of this meeting are given by Dr. J. M. Peck, in his life of Father Clark, as he was familiarly called, by the pioneers in this part of Illinois. The min- isters of this church have been Sears Crane, who was one of its first members, Elijah Dodson, Alvin Bailey, J. N. Tolman, W. F. Boyakin, J. Buckley, D. D., Niles Kinne, W. D. Clark, R. F. Parshall, J. C. Bon- ham and John E. Roberts, besides occasional and stated supplies. It has always occupied a very prominent position among the Baptist churches of Greene county, and has been on the whole a prosperous body, reaching at one time a membership of over three hundred, and securing the services of some of the ablest ministers in this section of the State.
Next to Carrollton stands the Hickory Grove, having the largest membership of any church in the county ; but the date of its organiza- tion is not now at hand. It has made fewer changes in its pastorate, in the last thirty years than any church in this county. Two ministers have broken the bread of life in that time-Harrison Witt, who died twenty- five years ago, and Samuel B. Culp, who has been its pastor ever since. Of course other ministers have preached here, but those named were the pastors during all that time, and their success has been without a parallel among the surrounding churches.
In 1832 Jacob Bower gathered a church near where Woodville now is. Of this church Mashek Browning was clerk, and afterward became a preacher and was ordained ; but in consequence of some misunderstanding in regard to this matter, and also in regard to membership in the Blue River Association, the Mt. Gilead Church was divided, the party working with Browning going to the Apple Creek Association, and the party adher- ing to JJacob Bower remaining in the Blue River Association. These churches still remain in the same neighborhood, and both retain the same name. At some periods they have both been nearly extinct and at other times have flourished exceedingly. Several attempts have been made to bring them together, and although the original parties have nearly all died or moved away, the survivors can not be reconciled. At this time the two churches do not number one hundred members.
It was with the Woodville body that the meeting of the Apple Creek Association occurred in which Harrison Witt, M. Browning, and J. V. Rhoads took the side of missionary effort, and John Record and Stephen Coonrod took the Antinomian side of the controversy, and this led to the formation of the Concord Association ; while the Apple Creek body began to approximate more nearly to the Missionary, a point not reached however for several years.
The Sangamon Association was formed in 1823-the Apple Creek was formed in 1830 from the Sangamon, and both bodies were Anti- Mission. The latter covered the territory embraced in the Counties of
309
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Greene, Macoupin, Madison. Bond and St. Clair. The Concord Associa- tion had three churches in Greene County, Hopewell on the west side of Apple Creek, now extinct ; Union, now located at Barrow, and one near Greenfield, over which Stephen Coonrod presided for many years. At Wilmington was a church connected with the Apple Creek Association, and to this came Jordan Whitesides, and became its pastor. Under his preaching the church grew strong, but in later years the pastor become a Universalist, the church was somewhat weakened, other ministers were brought in, and ultimately a division ensued. The stronger party fol- lowed the lead of Henry L. Johnson into the Sandy Creek Association, while the minority adhered to the Apple Creek Association, but ultimately disbanded and reorganized at Barrow Station, leaving the other party in possession of the meeting house and territory.
The date of the organization of the church at Bluffdale is not remem- bered, probably about 1832. To this church belonged John Russell, LL.D., celebrated in literature as the author of the " Worm of the Still," and several enjoyable volumes, David Woolley, and J. C. Harvey-the latter an ordained minister. This church was always small, and in prog- ress of time by deaths and removals, became extinct. Mrs. John Russell is at this time the only survivor of the original body.
The Martins Prairie Church was organized in the Summer of 1842 by Joel Sweet, Thomas Taylor, Jacob Bower. Its meeting house was built in 1859, is situated five miles east of Roodhouse. Here Elijah Dodson, Joel Terry, H. T. Chilton, J. M. Wells, - Wilson, T. N. Marsh and others have preached. With possibly a single exception, they have never had the services of a resident minister, Rev. J. B. Van preached in that church and resided in that neighborhood for a few months. This church numbers about eighty, and is under the pastoral care of Rev. George Robertson, who was ordained by that church in the Summer of 1878.
The Richwoods Church is situated directly east of the last-is a strong body-as it was when I first met its people, was then belonging to the Macoupin Association, but of late years has been the largest church in the Western Association. Here resides Elder F. W. Hicks, who has been for many years a member of this body-a prosperous preacher, and a thoroughly good man. The year in which this church was organized is not known to the writer hereof.
And the same remark is true of the church at Athensville, where C. A. Worley preached acceptably for so many years, and where the " ban- ner " is now held up by John Johnson. This church numbers about sixty. Like the two preceding, it is in the midst of a farming community, depends very largely on the " once-a-month " method of supply. The same remark might be made of nearly all the Baptist Churches away from the towns and business centers in this county. Their zeal has a good deal of the spasmodic element in it, and is followed by seasons of coldness and spiritual death until the next revival season is enjoyed.
South of this is a church on Bean Creek which has been in existence twenty years, organized by the Johnson Brothers, and has always been connected with the Sandy Creek Association. This too, is a country church, and keeps up its visibility by "once-a-month " preaching, by which it has been able to exercise a wholesome influence on the minds and morals of the community.
310
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
It may be desirable to remark that no one thing has done so much to improve the graces and working power of these churches as the Sunday school. Of course, with many of them, the Sunday school is only a Sum- mer institution, but as the years go by it is found to be a necessity to continue these schools through the entire year, thus making, without specially designing it, a necessity for holding weekly meeetings. To their credit be it said, that nearly all the churches sustain a Sunday school, excepting of course the small churches of the Concord Association, and they will most likely disappear in a few years, owing to the progress of events, and the increasing light of the times.
South of this comes Greenfield with a meeting house belonging to a small church of the Concord Association now almost extinct. Since the death of Stephen Conrood this body has had very irregular meet- ings, and their house has been occupied for the last few years by a church organized here, connected with the Sandy Creek Association, by Wm. M. Rhoads and John Bush. This latter body, though recently organized, has attained a fair degree of prosperity.
There was another church here, organized in 1851 by H. T. Chilton and others, connected with the Carrollton Association. This church united with the Cumberland Presbyterians in building a meeting house, which for some time was occupied jointly, but gradually both bodies failed, and the building was sold to the Town and occupied as a Town Hall. Here the Carrollton Association met in 1853. The membership of this church was always small, and death and removals scattered the few who remained.
East of this, at Fayette, is a small church connected with the Macou- pin Association, with a very comfortable frame meeting house, built very largely through the aid given by C. A. Worley, who was for several years pastor of this body. The church is not in a very flourishing condition. We do not know who is the present pastor. Situated in a decaying town, where the business life has been drawn toward the railroad stations, it could not be expected to prosper or enjoy a large share of attention, drawn from the surrounding world.
Southwest of Fayette is a small church in the Cannedy settlement belonging to the Sandy Creek Association. This is a recent organization, comparatively, and being situated nearly midway between Greenfield and Rockbridge, can not, in the nature of things, ever become a large church.
At Rockbridge, under the leadership of Wm. M. Rhoads and John Bush, has been gathered a highly prosperous church. A good meeting house has been built, and every effort is well sustained, and the spiritual interest is constantly increasing.
West of this was a church known in early days as Taylor's Creek- afterward as New Hope-having sometimes nearly a hundred members, and then disappearing for a season. It is to be found in the minutes of the Apple Creek Association in 1874, and is not to be found in 1878- probably its surviving members have gone into the Rockbridge and Providence Churches of the Sandy Creek Association.
West of Providence and south of Carrollton is the New Bethel Church with eighty-nine members. This church was originally gathered by Elder Elliott, but during the late war it died, and was revived again in 1873 in a series of meetings held by John Costley, who reorganized the church and has been its pastor ever since.
311
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Southwest of this across the Macoupin is the New Douglas Church, numbering probably more than twenty members. Elder Crawford is the ordained minister. South and west of Woodville is the Rough Edge Church, belonging to the Western Association, and north of this last a church called Nebo, while north of Woodville is the Pacific Union-a church belonging to Macoupin Association, and this completes the circle of Baptist Churches in Greene County.
The minutes of four Associations are before me, and with such cor- rections as I know to be proper, present the following summary :
Carrollton Association, 6 Churches, 479 Members.
Apple Creek
6
66
426
Sandy Creek
10
753
Macoupin 66
4
198 66
Total,
26 churches, 1,856 members.
If to these churches we add three churches of the Western and two of the Concord Associations, we shall have an aggregate of thirty- one churches, and a membership exceeding two thousand.
These churches have nineteen houses of worship, with sittings for four thousand people, one sixth of the population of Greene County, allowing that to be at this time 24,000, and this is doubtless a very low estimate.
Nearly all the meeting houses are plain frame buildings, made for use rather than ornament, situated in the midst of farming communities, many of them supplied by farmer preachers-men of sterling worth- who not only preach, but practice what they preach, making themselves "examples to the flock." Among these ministers are quite a number who have received but little culture from the schools, yet are strong in their common sense grasp of the doctrines of the gospel, and who are quite as apt in their application of those truths to the consciences of men as they are at wringing from the soil the support they fail to receive from the churches. Still, with all these drawbacks, there has been an advance all " along the line" in the last ten years.
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.