History of Madison County, Illinois With biographical sketches, Part 76

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co.
Number of Pages: 698

USA > Illinois > Madison County > History of Madison County, Illinois With biographical sketches > Part 76

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The Confes-ion of Faith adopted consisted of nine Arti

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

cles, and was thoroughly orthodox and Calvinistic. The first elders put in office under this unique constitution were Timothy Turner and Benjamin I. Gilman. Others, down to 1854, are as follows : Abijah W. Corey, 1841 ; Benjamin Godfrey, 1842; Nathan Johnson, 1845; John Mason, sr , 1846; George Smith, 1847. The ministers have been - (1) Theron Baldwin, supply pastor from November 2, 1838, till November 22, 1840. October 4, 1840, the church invi- ted Mr. Baldwin to become their pastor, and instructed B. I. Gilman and Timothy Turner to apply to Presbytery to have him installed. This was done, November 22, 1>40. A. T. Norton, of Alton Presbyterian church, preached the sermon, T. B. Hurlbut, of Upper Alton, gave the charge to the pastor, and T. Lippincott to the people. It was a semi- installation- Presbyterial, inasmuch as Presbytery was con- sulted about it, and agreed to Mr. Baldwin's wishes as to the individuals to officiate, all of whom were co-Presbyters with himself-non-Presbyterial in that the constitutional questions were omitted. Nothing can be more farcical thau Mr. B's. attempts to wear, and not to wear the Presbyterian harness. The recor.ls of the Session during the whole of Mr. B's. administration are very neatly kept in due Presbyte- rian form. From only a single entry would one suspect the church to be anything else than Presbyterian. "July 31, 1841, Timothy Turner was appointed (by the Session) a delegate to the Alton Presbytery on the ground that such delegates were received on certain conditions, by said Pres- bytery as corresponding members." The " conditions " referred to are contained in a plan of correspondence drawn up by Mr. Baldwin and foolishly adopted by the Presbytery of Alton at its fall session in Upper Alton, 1840. That " plan " is as follows : (1) " That we adopt the practice of receiving delegates, as corresponding members, from such Congregational and other churches within our bounds as harmonize with us iu belief of the essential doctrines of Christianity, provided they are willing regularly to report to this body. (2) That such delegates have the right not only to speak. but also to vote on all matters which come . before this body, except such as are strictly Presbyterial. (3) That we consent to act as an advisory council in all cases of reference which those associated churches may bring before us." At the fall meeting in 1867, these resolutions were repealed. But from the fall of 1840 to the fall of 1867, they were theoretically in force, though practically disre- garded. The fact is, the Presbyterian system is complete in itself. All foreign elements engrafted upon it are so many Cxerescences, which have in the end to be cut off or out. Mr. Baldwin left in April, 1844. He was succeeded by Elisha Jenney until September, of the same year. George Pyle followed and remained till his death, Jan 22, 1846; Joseph A. Ranney from March, 1846, to Nov., 1847; Wm. Homes from June, 1848, to June 1850; Geo. M. Tuthill from Oct. 1850, till May, 1852 ; Charles Temple from June 1852, till June, 1-54. All the above mini-ters were connect- ed with the Presbyterian Church save Charles Temple, and all with Alton Presbytery save Messrs. Temple and Homes. Monticello church was received by Presbytery, according to the terms of correspondence, May 3, 1842, and thereafter

represented in Presbytery and Synod with as much regularity as any other church down to 1854.

January 18, 1855, the Presbytery of Alton met with the Monticello church. That church presented a re- quest to come fully into connection with Presbytery. The request was grauted. Subsequently, but on the same day, Wellington W. Wells was, by the Presbytery, ordained pas- tor of that church according to Presbyterian usage. The church remained in this connection until Oet. 2, 1860, when the following minute appears upon the Records of Presby- tery : " The Alton Presbytery have received certain papers from the congregation at Monticello, iu which they express their opinion that the relation subsisting between said Presbytery and the congregation ought to be dissolved. The Presbytery express their regret that such a feeling should exist among those brethren with whom we have lived for years on terms of the greatest friendship. But as the papers inform the Presbytery, the church has withdrawn from our body, we erase the name of the Monticello church from our roll." The manual of the Monticello church refers to this matter thus: " In 1855, the church united with the Presbytery of Alton, and remained in that connec- tion till June, 1860, when the Presbytery having ceased to co-operate with the A. H. M. Society, (with which this church had co-operated since its first organization and still preferred to co-operate) it withdrew from Presbytery, and resumed its original independent condition." While under the care of Presbytery. the church was prosperous and uni- ted. For the first year W. W. Wells was their pastor. He was duly released from that charge by Presbytery, Sept. 29, 1855. In October, Rev. Albert Smith became supply pistor. He was called to the pastorate and installed by the Presbytery of Alton, Nov. 22, 1856, and remained in that relation until his death, April 24, 1863 Mr. Smith did not withdraw from the Presbytery with his church. Very sin- gularly the records of the church during the period of its connection with Presbytery cannot be found. That they were duly kept there is no doubt. Such pastors as Messrs. Wells and Smith would not have neglected so vital a matter. Besides, they were before Presbytery, in the spring of 1856 duly examined and approved. In 1855, the church reported eighty members. In 1856, ninety-one; 1857, ninety-five; 1858, ninety-three; 1859, ninety-eight ; 1860, one hundred and eight. In 1857, Benjamin Webster was added to the Session. Those six years nearly, of connection with the Presbytery, were years of union, peace and unmixed pros- perity. In those years the church edifice was erected by the trustees of the seminary, " for the joint use of the Mon- ticello Presbyterian congregation " and the seminary, ac- cording to a plan, dated August 10, 1557, and signed by B. Godfrey and P. Fobes, on the part of the seminary, and B. I. Gilman and A. W. Corey, on the part of the congre- gation. The title to this property is with the trustees of the seminary. To trace the history of this church since its withdrawal from Presbytery is not here in place. While Mr. Smith lived it prospered. ITis wise and steady course kept the elements in reposc. December 16, 1867, the first constitution of the church was essentially changed. Since

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

that time, or rather since its withdrawal from the Presbytery, , organized by Revs. Valentine Pentzer and P. D. Young, it has not been Presbyterian, whatever else it may have been December 9, 1848, in a school house where the village of Bethalto now is, with these members, viz .: Samuel Smith, Ruth Smith, Hugh S.nith, Letitia Dorsey, James Purdy Smith, Elizabeth Smith, D. Duncan Smith, Ann M. Pentzer, Mrs Ann Smith. Samuel Smith was made elder. He died in June, 1856. Since appointed, Hugh Smith, November 20, 1854; William A. Lanterman and George F. Stahl, same date; Samuel Dorsey, James Harvey Smith, Hiram E. Stahl. elected in first part of 1870; W. S. B. Robinson about 1876. or is. Upon the whole, the history of this church, since the death of Dr. Smith, has demonstrated the utter absurdity of attempting to build up an orthodox church which shall be un-denomination ul. Drs. Baldwin and Smith were able men. They could hold a church to orthodox moorings by their individual power and Presbyterian connections. Lesser men, with no such connections, will surely fail. No church can live and grow and be useful without >ome distinctive and acknowledged system of doctrine and polity.

TROY CHURCHI.

The organization was made Oct. 24, 1842, by Revs. Wm. Chamberlain, T. Lippincott and C. E. Blood, with these members: J. K. Reiner, E. C. Reiner, James Perigo, H. Perigo, Cyrus Scott, jr., P. Scott, E. Scott, L. A. Scott, B. Posey, G. W. Scott, E. Goodwin, E. Davis and Cynthia Scott. This was the first church organization of any denomi- nation in the village of Troy. Up to Dec. 22d, 1867, the church had received eighty-five members, only sixteen of whom were then remaining. At that time Rev. Robert Stewart commenced his permanent labors. Since then and up to Jan. 1st, 1878, one hundred and twelve have been added. Before Mr. Stewart, the church was served by the following ministers : Win. Chamberlain, Thomas Lippincott, J. R. Dunn, Calvin Butler, L. A. Parks, licentiate, John Gibson, Socrates Smith, James A. Darrah, Caleb J. Pitkin, William Ellers and A. D. Jack. Most of these labored here only half the time. The following are the elders: Dr. J. K. Reiner and James Perigo, the first two. Thomas Smith, Wesley Jarvis, Oliver Beard, John R. Swain, Dr. F. W. Lytle, L. R. Cornman, John McKee, Dr. F. A. Sabin, Andrew Kimberlin, James A. Henderson, Samuel Yandell, James W. Barlow, Edward Bigelow, Thomas II. Bell, R. C. Morris, Henry A. Risser, James Lang, Thomas J. Purviance and John Bosomworth. In 1845 the church adopted the limited period of Eldership. The first house of worship was a neat frame, twenty-four by thirty feet. When the new house was erected the old one was sold and is now private property. This new house is of brick, sixty by thirty-six feet, with basement story and audience room above, and cost $10,000. Eleven hundred of this was donated by the Board of Church Erection. The corner stone of this house was laid on Mr. Stewart's birth-day, May 3, 1871. It was dedicated May 3, 1872, the day the pastor was seventy- four years of age.

Mr. Stewart remained in charge of the church until his death, which took place at his residence in Troy, July 11, 1881, at the advanced age of eighty three years, two months and eight days. The present minister of the church is Rev. John Gehring. The present Elders are D. F. A. Sabin and Thomas II. Bell, and the number of members about sixty-five.

MORO CHURCHI.

The church of Rattan's Prairie, now called Moro, was

Ministers : Valentine Pentzer; P. D. Young, 1850; Peter Hassinger, 1853-56 ; S. B. Smith, 1857-58; R. M. Roberts, 1860; F. H. L. Laird, 1862 ; A. N. Denny, 1864, till his death. September 29, 1868; R. G. Ross, 1869; M. B. Gregg, 1871; George B. McComb, 1872; John Huston, 1874; William L. Johnson, 1876; Samuel B. Taggart, 1879. The name of the church was changed from " Rattan's Prairie " to "Moro " by Presbytery April 6, 1865. There has been but one house of worship. It was erected in the summer and fall of 1853, and is situated near the Moro depot. A cemetery is in the same enclosure with the church and adjoins the church site. Before the church was erected, the common place of meeting was Bethalto school- house.

Mr. Taggart is still in charge of the church. His post- office address is Upper Alton, Illinois. The membership is about fifty-five.

ZION (GERMAN) PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

This church was organized at Fosterburg, Madison county, October 12, 1857, by Revs. J. G. Schaible and H. Blanke, with twenty members. Up to the fall of 1877 the church was served by three ministers-H. Blanke, J. H Reints and August Busch, who entered upon their work in 1857, 1869 and 1873. respectively.

The first Elders were Fred Wortman and C. Breuken. Afterward P. A. Scheldt, Ernest Wortman and C. F. Lob- big. In August, 1878, the church adopted the time service method, at the same time reducing the board to two, C. Breuken and P. H. Scheldt. This church has had a membership of one hundred and thirty-nine in all from the beginning. Its present membership is eighty-nine.

A house of worship was built soon after the organization, which cost about five hundred dollars. A parsonage was erected at the same time at a cost of about four hundred dollars. Additions have been made to the parsonage since, so that the present value of the church property, including house of worship, parsonage and grounds, is about $1,500. Since the fall of 1877, this church was without a pastor. During the spring and summer of 1878 it was served by a licentiate, Albert F. Beyer, then a student of Danville Seminary, whom the church elected their pastor, and who was ordained over them May 14, 1879, by a committee of Alton Presbytery. The church building is situated in T. 6 N., R. 9 W., Sec. 14, N. E. } of S. W. } of the section.

The present (1882), Elders are C. F. Lobbig and Ernest Wortman. The number of members is fifty.

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

SALEM (GERMAN) PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

This church was organized August 19, 1869, by Revs. John A. Reints, Mr Tschudy and Elder Frederick Wort- man with these members: Ilenry Bausch, Anton Telgmann, Henry Koch, Frederick Schallenberg, Nicolaus Ysch, Carl Wenzel, Hermann Bockstrock, August Seiler, John Hauser, Christ. Schlei ker, Ernest Schallenberg, Henry Banker, Henry Landwehr, Henry Schallenberg. Y. E. Schallenberg, Mathilde Koch, Teadore Telgmaun, Susanne Bausch, Char- lotte Schallenberg, Mrs. Ysch, Charlain Wenzel, Charlain Bockstrock, Hanne Hauser, Anna Schlenker, Dina Schallen- berg, Rosiene Seiler. Elders : Henry Bausch, Antou Telg- mann. Ministers: John H. Reints from the organization until August, 1877 ; August Busch, 1878 ; Albert E Bayer, present minister, was ordained over them May 5, 1879. The church house was erected within two months, September and October, 1869, and cost about $1,000. It is in T. 6, R. 9, S. E. } Sec. 18. This church together with Zion church at Fosterburg. Madison county, constitute a very interesting parish. All the members of both are native Germans. Their religious services are in that language. The present (1882) Elders are, Anton Telgmann and Henry Bausch, and the number of members sixty. Godfrey, Madison county, Illi- nois, is the post-office address.

Woodburn (German) Presbyterian church, just across the line, in Macoupin county, has been quite recently organized. Salem, Zion and Woolburn constitute one field, under the charge of Rev. A. E. Bayer, whose residence is at Foster- burg.

THE BAPTIST CHURCHI.

BY JUSTUS BULKLEY, D. D.

AT the close of the Revolutionary war the entire number of Baptists in America did not exceed fifty thousand, and in all the valley of the Mississippi there were but two small churches. The first ministers of the gospel who visited the region of Kentucky were Lewis Lunford (called in Virginia "the Wonderful Boy ") and John Taylor, who made excur- sions to that region in 1779. The Presbyterians were the second denomination to enter this valley. Their pioneer was Rev. David Rice, who in October, 1783, with his family, settled near Harrod's Station, Kentucky. In 1786 two itinerant Methodist ministers arrived in Kentucky, and laid the foundation for their numerous people.

So far as I can learn, the first evangelical or Protestant minister that preached the gospel in the Illinois country, was Rev. James Smith, a Separate Baptist minister, who in the summer of 1787 visited and preached to the scattered inhabitants of what is now Monroe county. In 1790 he made a second visit to the same territory, preached, was taken prisoner by the Indians, near Waterloo, carried to the Kickapoo town on the Wabash, ransomed and returned to Kentucky. In 1796 Rev. Josiah Dodge, a native of Con.

necticut, but a pioneer from Kentucky, visited Illinois, and baptized four persons, who had professed conversion under Smith's preaching. One of these was James Lemen, Sr., who, with his four sons, became subsequently Baptist min- isters. Rev. David Badgley in the spring of 1796 came to Illinois from Hardin county, Virginia. He baptized fifteen persons, and, aided by Joseph Chance, who was not then an ordained minister, constituted the New Design Baptist church, Monroe county, with twenty-eight members,-the first Bap- tist church in Illinois. It was constituted May 28, 1796. In the spring of 1796 Badgley moved his family to Illinois, preached, enjoyed revival seasons, and in 1798 constituted another church in the Americau Bottom, with fifteen mem- bers.

First Church .- The first Baptist church organized within the present limits of Madison county was at Wood River It was constituted May 3, 1807, by David Badgley and William Jones. Among the constituent members were : William Jones, by letter ; Elizabeth Jones, Susan Brown, William Stubblefield, Isaac Hill, Lucy Hill, Joseph Cook, Sarah Cook, John Rattan, Mary Rattan, Anne Rose, John Finley, and possibly others. July following Joseph White, James Gillham and Anne Gillham joined, by letter. In June, 1809, Abel Moore, Mary Moore, James Beeman and Nancy Beeman were received by letter. In September, 1809, George Moore aud Nancy Moore joined by letter.

In 1807 the first Baptist Association was formed, called the " Illinois Union." It consisted of five churches, Wood River, New Design, Mississippi Bottom, Silver Creek and Richland. It had four ministers, David Badgley, William Jones, Robert Brazil and Joseph Chance, with sixty-two members. Hence Wood River church, with its pastor, William Jones, was one of five churches to constitute the first Baptist Association in Illinois. In 1809 the Associa- tion held its annual meeting with this church. The first Saturday in April, 1811, letters of dismission were granted to William and Elizabeth Jones; but the first Saturday in October, 1814, they were again received by letter. The first Saturday in June, 1815, James Beeman was appointed to get plank to floor the meeting-house, and get two acres of land from Joseph Vaughn, for meeting-house and grave- yard. The first Saturday in July, 1816, Joseph Vaughn offered to sell to the church two acres of laud where the meeting-house and grave yard were situated, for five dollars per acre. After consulta ion, the church purchased one and a half acres, and Vaughn donated a half acre and twenty rods.

These pioneers were a hearty, thrifty, social generous peo- ple; their hospitality was unbounded. A common foe in the Indians by whom they were surrounded connected them very closely in their friendship, as well as uuited them for common defence. Their settlements were sparse. Their custom was to hold monthly meetings, beginning on Saturday and holding over the following Sabbath. Their faith was simple and their piety sincere; their preaching was largely hortatory and their worship primitive and unostentatious ; members were often widely scattered ; their mode of travel was on horseback, and attended with great danger from a

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

prowling foe ; and yet they exhibited great earnestness and puuctuality iu their attendance upon the state.] appoint- ments of the church. One of the members of this church, Mrs. Bates, the mother of the wife of Abel Moore, lived near Jersey Landing; another, Mrs. Askew, sister of Mr. Abel Moore, also lived near Jersey Landing, and yet both came monthly, on horseback, exposed to imminent danger, aud yet with great regularity and delight, to attend the stated appointments of the church. During the war of 1812 Elder William Jones became a soldier, and was elected captain of his company. During this period he often preached in the Block House, which stood near the pre- mises of William Gill.

This church enjoyed a good degree of prosperity until about 1849, about which time its membership declined, and it was then merged into the Bethlehem United Baptist Church.

EDWARDSVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH.

Dr. Benjamin F. Edwards came from Kentucky, and set- tled in Edwardsville March 19, 1827. At this time, the number of Baptists living in Madison county was very small. In Edwardsville only two were known to profess Baptist sentiments, viz : Mr . John Adams, who had been a member of a Baptist church in the East, and George Kelly, who had been baptized by Rev. J. M. Peck, and held from him a certificate of his baptism. Dr. Edwards, desirous of developing his religious character and ot' engaging as far as possible, with others iu Divine worship, engaged in devo- tional meetings with the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Cumberland Presbyterians, in Edwardsville, and enjoyed them. But he could not thus fully satisfy the convictions of his own conscience. Believing that Baptist churches were organized essentially on the New Testament pattern, he corresponded with the Rev. John S. Wilson of Kentucky, and persuaded him to visit Edwardsville in the spring of 1828. Mr. Wilson was then a licentiate of the Mt. Gilead Baptist church, Kentucky, the same church to which Dr. Edwards belonged.

A series of meetings were held in Edwardsville, Rock Spring, and other places in the vicinity. Extensive revivals accompanied his labore. In Edwardsville, business houses temporarily suspended and whisky shops were closed. The meetings were held in the court-house. The citizens gen- erally attended, and the most hardened were deeply impressed. The meetings in Edwardsville continued about eight weeks ; about thirty persons were baptized. Among those baptized was Paris Mason, a prominent and influential citizen, and afterward a deacon of the church, and John Adams, sub- sequently sheriff of the county, and for many years clerk of the church. During these services, a little band of seven persons, looking out upon the future of this valley, deemed it loyalty to Christ to organize a Baptist church. They gathered at the residence of Dr. Edwards, (subsequently the residence of Hon. Joseph Gillespie), April 18, 1828, and organized the Baptist Church of Edwardsville. Let their names be recorded : Rev. Thomas Ray and wife, Jacob Gonterman and wife, Dr. Benjamin F. Edwards and wife,

Eliza A. Fall, subsequently Eliza A. Adams of Alton. The first pastor was Rev. Thomas P. Green. Ile was succeeded by Rev. Joshua Bradley from New England. Rev. J. B. Smith was the third pastor. He was born in Alexander county, Illinois. Rev. Thomas P. Green persuaded him to come to Elwardsville. At that time he could scarcely read intelligibly. He attended Rev. J. M. Peck's theological school at Rock Spring, but becoming in some way involved in difference of opinion with his teacher, he came to Ed- wardsville and resided and studied with Dr. Edwards, who was accustomed to refer to him humorously as his " theologi- cal student." He served the church two years, and after- wards settled in Lexington, and Louisville, Kentucky, and other places, and subsequently rose to considerable eminence in the ministry.

Among the early pastors of the church, Rev. Alvin Bailey and Rev. George Stacey demand h norable mention. During its early history, Rev. Elijah Dodson, Rev. Hubbell Loomis, Rev. J. M. Peck, Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers and Rev. James Lemen frequently supplied the pulpit. Mr. Wilson's labors resulted in the organization of a church at Rock Spring, now Oak Hill, the residence of Dr. Peck. The Ed- wardsville and Rock Spring churches applied for admission to the Illinois Association, but were refused because they openly advocated and earnestly supported Missions, Bible and Tract societies, and kindred benevolent organizations. These matters with these churches were not made a test of fellowship. Each member was permitted to support, or re- fuse to support, these benevolent enterprises, but as churches, the support was open, earnest and avowed. The rejection of their application for membership in the " Illinois Associa- tiou" led these churches, with the Upper Alton Baptist Church, which was organized April 25, 1830, to unite in an Association in accordance with their views At that time there was not in the state an Association that openly sup- ported these benevolent enterprises.

Hence, October 16, 1830, Edwardsville, Rock Spring and Upper Alton churches met, hy delegates, in Edwardsville and organized the Edwardsville Baptist Association, the only organization in the state openly, earnestly, avowedly missionary. True, the Lemens had earlier organized the South District Association, which was friendly to the cause of missions, aud at its annual meeting in September, 1829, it passed a resolution commending the American Bible So- ciety to the confidence and support of its members, and in its circular letter, it speaks approvingly of the cause of missions. At the meeting that organized the Edwardsville Association, the following resolution was passed :

" Resolved: That the Baptists in this State who are favor- able to a general union of the denomination be affectionately invited, to attend a meeting to be held at Elwardsville, on the Friday before the fourth Lord's day in July next (1831) to consult upon the practicability of such a union." At the same time, James Lemen, J. M. Peck, B. F. Edwards, George Stacey, and George Smith, were chosen a committee to prepare an address to the Baptist; in Illinois. A this meeting in July, Rev. John Logan, a Baptist minister from Schuyler county, and the Lemen brothers were present-

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History of Madison County, Illinois With biographical sketches, Part 76

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co. Number of Pages: 698

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co.
Number of Pages: 698