USA > Illinois > McDonough County > History of McDonough county, Illinois, its cities, towns and villages with early reminiscences, personal incidents and anecdotes and a complete business directory of the county > Part 53
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY. .
Major Yocum was a man of medium height, well built, in his younger days being rather thin, but becoming portly with age ; possessed a quick and active mind, strong will, and tender heart. He never made a profession of religion, but always lived a good moral life, complying with the golden rule in doing unto others as he would others should do unto him. As a husband and father he was kind and affectionate; as a neighbor, obliging; as a cit- izen, enterprising and liberal. He departed this life on the twenty-second day of October, 1874.
His funeral was preached by the Rev. W. S. Campbell, a Cumber- land Presbyterian minister, and his remains were consigned to the tomb at Pennington's Point, this county. His loss was deeply felt by a large circle of friends all over the county, as well as elsewhere. His good wife still survives him. None can tell how much he is missed by her who for nearly fifty years traveled with him the journey of life. Mrs. Yocum is now in her seventieth year, and enjoys moderately good health. She has been a faith- tul wife and a loving mother, and enjoys the love of all who are so fortunate as to know her. For fifty-five years she has been a consistent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, unit- ing at the age of fourteen with the Dry Fork church, in Sumner county, Tennessee. For a number of years her membership, in this county, was with the Walnut Grove C. P. church, but at present she is connected with the church at Bardolph. Mrs. Yocum makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. William Harlan, who resides upon the old homestead, and is gently passing down life's river, fearing naught, but ready when the summons come to join the loved ones on the other side of the River of Death.
527
HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXXV.
RELIGIOUS.
In seeking a new home at the present day, the question is al- most invariably asked as to what are the religious influences in the community to which it is desired to emigrate. A community in which the school-house and the church find a special recogni- tion will always be selected in preference to the one in which these are not found. Men of the world recognize the fact that education and Christian institutions are the handmaids of gen- eral thrift and prosperity. Improvements in the manners, tastes, and moral status of the people, follow closely the preaching of the gospel. Says Ford, in his History of Illinois :
" As to the practice of attending church on Sunday, I am confi- dent that it produced these effects [the improvement in dress, manners, etc.]. I have observed very carefully in the course of thirty-five years spent upon the frontiers, that in those neighbor- hoods where the people habitually neglect to attend publie wor- ship on Sundays, such improvements rarely, if ever, take place. In such places, the young people feel no pride, and do not desire improvement. They scarcely ever throw aside their every-day, rough apparel to dress up neat and clean on Sunday. On that day the young men are seen with uncombed heads, unshorn beards, and unwashed linen, strolling in the woods hunting, or on the race course, or at a grocery contracting habits of intoxication, or lounging sullenly and lazily at home. The young women, in ap- pearance, dress, manners and intelligence, are the fit companions for their brothers. Sunday, to them, brings no bright skies, no gladness, no lively or cheerful thoughts, no spirits renovated by mixing in the sober, decent, quiet, but gay assemblage of youth and beauty. Their week of labor is not cheered by anticipations
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
of the gay and bright fete with which it is to elose. Labor through the week is to them a drudgery; and is performed with surliness and grudging ; and their Sabbaths are spent in heedless, sleepy stupidity. The young people of both sexes are without self-respect, and are conscious of not deserving the respect of others. They feel a crushing and withering sense of meanness and inferiority, mingled with an envious malignity towards all excellence in others who exhibit an ambition for improvement. Such neighborhoods are pretty certain to breed up a rough, vi- cious, ill-mannered and ill-natured race of men and women."
The early settlers of this county were especially blessed with respect to religious influences. The sound of the hammer, used in the erection of the first cabin, had hardly died away before the minister of the gospel made his appearance. As recorded else- where, a few families settled in the neighborhood of the present town of Industry in 1827, forming what was long known as "Car- ter's Settlement." In May, 1828, Elder John Logan, then in con- nection with what is now known as the Regular Baptists, settled in this place, living for the first six or eight months in the old block house, situated on the farm of William Carter. In this house he preached the first sermon ever preached in the county, some time in June of the same year; about the same time he there organized the first Sunday School in the county.
Elder Logan was a hard-working, zealous, Christian man, and spent much time in laboring for his master. For many years he travelled from settlement to settlement, in what is known as the Military Tract, as well as in regions beyond, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was the first missionary appointed by the Baptist Home Missionary Society, of Boston, Massachusetts, re- ceiving as salary the munificent sum of one hundred dollars per year. For accepting this appointment he was excluded from the fellowship of the church in which he held membership, and from the association, but, in connection with others, he organized another congregation, continuing his labors as a minister of the gospel to the salvation of many souls. He was instrumental in organizing many of the Missionary Baptist Churches in this sec- tion, and his name is held in grateful remembrance by all who had the pleasure of forming his acquaintance.
For the following highly interesting and graphic sketch of the Regular Baptist denomination, we are indebted to Elder I. N. Van Meter :
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY
REGULAR BAPTISTS-OLD SCHOOL.
While the Old School, or Regular Baptists, are strong in num- bers, influence and respectability in some other parts of this State, and more particularly in some of the other States, and have some very ably edited papers, yet, in all McDonough county they make but a poor show as to numbers, and as to their standing and influence in civil society they claim only their proportionate part with the rest of the community.
Elder John Logan, a Baptist minister, preached the first gospel sermon ever heard in MeDonough county, at what date I am not able to learn, but in the month of November, 1831, Elder Logan and Elder Stephen Strickland constituted a Baptist Church in Bethel township, named Union, composed of ten members-four males and six females. At that time the Baptists of the western country generally went by the name of United Baptists. The cir- cumstances leading to the adoption of the name United, I shall not attempt to rehearse, as I consider it unnecessary in this brief article. I will simply state this much about the appellation United Baptist : That in some of the western States about the beginning of the present century, the "regular" and "separate" branches of the Baptist denomination united together under the name of the United Baptists, and the early settlers of this county who maintained Baptist sentiments, were organized under this name. The reasons which led this little Church the next year to change her name from United to that of Regular Baptist, as well as many other Churches in the south and west, I shall briefly state presently.
The names of the constituents of Union Church are as follows : John Gibson, Nancy Gibson, William Stephens, Sarah Stephens, James Edmondston, Polly Edmondston, Richard Morris, Abigal Ferguson, Cassanda Morris and Sarah C. Palmer. Elders Logan and Strickland do not appear to have met with this little church often after they organized her, but in July, 1832, Thomas II. Owen, a licentiate, visited and preached to them. Owen located in Hancock county, and was afterward ordained a minister, and be- came a man of ability. He represented his county in the General Assembly of Illinois one or more terms, then emigrated to Zene Zene, Cal., where he still lives, and is able to preach and write some to the edification of the saints. John Gibson, one of the constituents of this church, was one of the early settlers in the
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
county, and located at an early date on the road from Macomb to Quincy, where he resided till his death, April 22, 1869. " Uncle " John Gibson was as well known among the Baptists of the sur- rounding country as any other private member. He had much intercourse with them, his doors always open to receive them, and on two occasions of our annual associations being held near him, he fed over two hundred persons, and also lodged them in his house and in his barn, often telling his brethren, in his jovial way, that the "soft side of a board was good enough for a Hardshell Baptist."
In 1832 the church called Elder William Bradley to the pas- toral care of the same. Early in the fall of 1832 this church sent messengers to the Spoon River Association, and was received into her correspondence and fellowship, although she was composed of "Regular" Baptist churches, associated together for mutual edifi- cation and correspondence. The little church of Union in No- vember of the same year considered the propriety of changing the name by which she was known from United to Regular Bap- tist, and the change was made by unanimous consent. Her rea- sons for dropping the name United and assuming the name Regu- lar she believed to be of sufficient importance to warrant the change of this qualifying appellative attached to what was orig- inally the Baptist Church. First, she found that the articles of faith of the Association of the Regular Baptist churches were substantially the same as her own; secondly, she had learned to her deep sorrow and grief that many bearing the name of United Baptist Churches had, as she verily believed, departed from the faith and practice of the gospel, and hence she, for the sake of consistency, harmony and good order, took the name of Regular Baptist by mutual consent. In doing this, however, she did not change a single article of her faith, or a single clause in her rules of decorum. And what is here said of the Union Church in dropping the United and assuming the name Regular Baptist may be said of many similar ones throughout the South and West, and even elsewhere.
The Baptist Church was once a unit, and love, and peace, and fellowship abounded among our people ; but now, the name "Bap- tist" is not understood by the community without a pre-fix to distinguish the kind of Baptist intended by the speaker or writer.
531
IHISTORY OF M'DONOUGHI COUNTY.
With due deference and respect to the opinions of all other de- nominations of professed Christians the Regular Baptist Church (in many places called Primitive Baptists, and Old School Baptists,) claim to be a copy of the original gospel churches of the New Testament, in doctrine and practice. She acknowledges the Iloly Scriptures as her only rule of faith and practice, and as being a sufficient rule for her till the end of time; hence she looks upon all the modern inrentions and societies of men, in the things of re- ligion, as being subversive of the peace and order of the church, and as unspeakable abominations in the sight of God. I do not intend, in this brief notice of our very limited number of men- bers in this county, to enter into the discussion of theological questions, but for the information of those who are not acquainted with the faith and practice of the Regular Baptists, and for the perusal of those who shall succeed this generation, I will merely state that, as a general rule, our churches are opposed to her members joining secret societies, or any religious society where money is required to secure membership or office. They are op- posed to the modern system of preaching under contract for mon- ey ; to theological schools for the education of ministers ; the re- ligious festivals for the raising of funds for church purposes, etc., believing these, and many others of modern invention, are innova- tions upon the sacred scriptures, and have a tendency to bring the standard of Truth into disrepute, and lead to infidelity. But they as a body, do not make political opinions, or any other more sec- ular concern, or worldly employments, a test of church fellow- ship, or a bar against any; on the contrary, they most cordially invite all who love God, and are willing to obey the order of the house, to come, and go with them.
In 1833, Elder Micajah B. Rowland joined the Union Church by letter, and soon became pastor of the church, and was released from it in 1835. He afterward removed to Iowa, and continued to preach until he was worn out with old age.
In 1835, Samuel L. Dark, a licentiate, was received by letter, and was ordained in 1840. He now resides near Brooklyn, Schuyler county, and is still busily engaged in proclaiming the gospel far and near. There is something very peculiar in the conversion of this man. In 1831 he was in the Black Hawk war, under General Duncan, and being from Schuyler county, and be- ing unsurpassed for wit, humor and fun, he was called the Schuy-
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGHI COUNTY.
ler County Foot-Killer, generally among the camps; and having a wonderful memory and a great tact at mimiery, he was fre- quently engaged in preaching the funeral of dead horses and mules. While encamped in the bottom where the city of Rock Island now stands, he was engaged in the funeral services of a defunct mule ; and during his solemn appeals to heaven, amidst a crowd of soldiers, he was suddenly seized with strong convictions for his sins and blasphemies, and never found rest until he found it at the feet of Christ. Elder D. has preached so much in this county, and for a while, I believe, resided in it, that I feel justi- fied in giving this remarkable incident in his life. He still has a retentive memory, and is an able minister of the New Testament. The little band steadily increased in numbers, holding their meet- ings in private houses, until finally they were enabled to build a house a few miles southeast of Middletown.
In 1838 Elder Robert Mays joined them by letter, and was for a while pastor of the church. His widow still survives, residing in Iowa, aged over ninety, but has been blind for several years.
In 1838 Elder John Driskill joined them by letter and became their pastor, and remained with them till his death, which oc- curred in 1857 or 1858.
Elder George Tracy, of Hancock county, was pastor of the church for a few months, and on the twenty-seventh of May, 1858, he dropped dead at the saw mill at Tucker Town. He was a worthy man, and much missed after his decease.
In September, 1858, the writer of this sketch became pastor of the little church, and sustains that relation to it up to the present time; the last few years, however, Elder Jacob Castlebury and Elder T. N. Frazee, of Plymouth, have generally attended half of the meetings. Elder Frazee, who was an able and worthy brother, died in March, 1873.
This church has met in the village of Middletown for many years, and has recently built a new house of worship. She has never numbered at any one time, perhaps, over thirty-five or forty members, but has dismissed by letter, from time to time, enough members to form another respectable church or two, who have moved out of her bounds. Enough of her members have left the militant state and gone to the triumphant, to form a good sized congregation, as she has been organized nearly forty-five years. She has now thirty-seven communicants, all in peace.
533
HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
Antioch Church of Regular Baptists .- This little church was organized in Middletown in February, 1841, at which time the Union Church held her meetings a few miles southeast of there. Elders T. II. Owen and Moses Frazee officiated in the constitution of this church. But four persons were ready to go into the organ- ization at the time as a nucleus around which others were ex- pected soon to gather. The constituents were John McCormick, Parthena MeCormick, William D. Stevens, and Holly Edmonston. Immediately after they were organized six others were added to their number, and they afterward made a reasonable growth. In April of the same year Elder Owen became pastor of the church, and the same year she connected herself with the Salem Associa- tion of churches, which included parts of Hancock, Adams and Brown counties. In 1843 she built a house of worship in Mid- dletown, where she held her regular meetings, attended by Elder Owen and occasionally by Elder Frazee. Finally, however, they found themselves deprived of a pastor, and becoming satisfied that the labors of one could not be secured, they consulted to- gether and mutually agreed to dissolve the organization by giving each other letters of dismission to join other churches. This was done in October, 1849; since which the members have united else- where, the most of them joining the Union Church, now meeting in Middletown. John McCormick, one of her constituents, came from Kentucky in 1835 or 1836, and has been for many years liv- ing with his second wife, both estimable people, and the old gen- tleman is now largely over eighty, but is able to attend to his own business. Another one of the constituents, William D. Stevens, and his estimable lady, are the parents of the editor of the Ma- comb Independent. This couple are both living near Colchester.
Besides these two organizations, there have been one or more churches constituted, which had similar Articles of Faith, to those of the present Regular, or Old School Baptists, but have since gone with the New School party.
The Regular Baptists have now but one church, which meets regularly within the county, but there are churches of our order holding regular sessions in all the adjoining counties, so that some of the members of at least four churches, which meet out of the county, reside in this county. Our entire number of communi- eants, resident in the county, do not, perhaps, reach over sixty.
11-34
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
The writer is the only Regular Baptist minister now perma- nently residing in the county. He came from Kentucky, and located in Macomb township in March, 1855. He attends four churches monthly, one near Jacksonville, one near La Harpe, one at Greenbush and one at Middletown, besides much other travel- ing to special meetings.
Our aged brother, Elder John B. Moore, owns a farm in the south part of this county, but is spending the most of the eve- ning of his life visiting the churches and his many friends in the northwest.
This old pioneer, and veteran of the cross of Christ, has trav- eled on horseback a distance that would belt our globe more than three times around.
Wishing you success in your History of MeDonough County, the above brief sketch is submitted.
ISAAC N. VAN METER. Macomb, Illinois, June, 1876.
Elder VanMeter, the writer of the above, is well known through- out MeDonough and surrounding counties as an estimable Chris- tian gentleman, one having the cause of his Master at heart. His labors are very arduous, but he does not complain, believing the reward will come bye-and-by.
CHRISTIAN.
Following closely the Baptists, this earnest body of disciples made their appearance, the first preaching being in the year 1831, by Elders Bristow and Long. They now number nine congregations, with a membership of 1,121. The religious views of the denomination are now so well known it is useless to give them in this place. In numbers, in the county they are second among the various denominations. We give, in the order of or- ganization, short sketches of the various congregations.
Blandinsville Christian Church .- This is the oldest church of the denomination in the county, and was formerly known as the Liberty Church, situated a few miles from the town. It was organized in the year 1832. In 1849, by vote, it was removed to Blandinsville. Since locating here it has had it seasons of pros- perity and seasons of adversity. During the war it was somewhat divided on that question, and bitter feelings engendered then brought forth imperfect fruit. The following named have acted
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
as pastors of the congregation : Elders Long, Rigdon, Eads, Dodge, Patrick Murphy, Bedford Murphy, Lieurance, Coffee, Hallam, Trickett, Leek, Goodnight. The membership is now about 200. Their church property is valned at $1,500. Amount raised per year for all church purposes, $750, of which $600 is paid the pastor. Their Sunday School numbers 100, with aver- age attendance of 65, and annual contributions of $30.
Macomb Christian Church .- The first discourse ever delivered by a Disciple in Macomb, was by Elder Livy Hatchitt, at the house of David Clarke, in the year 1835. Elder H. came to Ma- comb and endeavored to get the use of some public building, but was refused on account of his supposed heterodoxy. Mr. Clarke, who had read much of the writings of Alexander Campbell, and who subscribed generally to his views, offered his house, which was accepted. No special results followed the preaching, but it was supposed the "good seed" was sown, which brought forth fruit in after years.
By 1845 quite a number of disciples had gathered in the neigli- borhood of Macomb, and they resolved to organize, if possible. They sent for Elder Davenport, of Walnut Grove, now Eureka, Ill., who, not being able to come, sent A. J. Kane, then a young Evangelist. Elder Kane came, and, securing the old court house, preached with such force and power as to turn twenty-nine souls to the Lord.
Dr. Young organized the congregation September 16th, 1845, with seventeen members, which, adding the twenty-nine obtained under Elder Kane's preaching, made a band of forty-six carnest disciples.
The following are the names of the original seventeen mem- bers : Benjamin F. Martin, William H. Franklin, James S. Palmer, James Clarke, William B. Pile, Hannah B. Pile, William Maxwell, Lucy Maxwell, Elizabeth G. Palmer, George Booth, Isabella Booth, Lucy Beard, Margaret Broaddus, Emily J. Sweeney, Sarah Bacon, Rachel Hampton, Maria J. Franklin.
The following officers were chosen : B. F. Martin and W. II. Franklin, Elders-both of whom are Elders of the Church at the present time; James S. Palmer and James Clarke, Deacons.
No regular preaching was had for some months, but the congre- gation met regularly upon the Lord's day to break bread.
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
The following named have served as pastors of the congrega- tion : Elders Livy Hatchett, W. W. Hopkins, W. P. Shockey, W. O. Miller, Samuel Lowe, J. C. Reynolds (about eleven years), J. H. Garrison, P. K. Dibble, J. H. Smart, and G. W. Mapes. Several successful revivals have been enjoyed by the church under the preaching of such men as A. J. Kane, William Brown, Ziba Brown, William J. Houston, Dr. Hopkinson, John S. Sweeney, Samuel Lowe, J. C. Reynolds, Dr. Dunkeson, D. R. Lucas, P. K. Dibble and J. H. Smart. Since the organization eight hundred and seventy persons have united with this congre- gation, making an average of twenty-nine per year.
The church building is on Carroll street, east of Lafayette. It was erected in 1845, and has been in constant use ever since. It is the oldest church structure now standing in Macomb. The value of church property is $3,500.
W. II. Franklin, B. F. Martin, J. C. Reynolds and J. T. Webb, elders ; J. L. Russell, S. P. Danley, C. S. Churchill, W. S. Mc- Clelland and Joseph Stover, deacons. The average annual contri- bution, $1,500. J. S. Gash, superintendent of the Sunday school, which has an average attendance of one hundred and twenty-five scholars.
Bedford Christian Church .- This congregation was organized April 7, 1850, by Elder Milton Dodge, with the following mem- bers : Richard Brightwell, Eliza Brightwell, Elizabeth Bright- well, Charles Bradshaw, John Gibson, Elizabeth Johnson, Benja- min Moore, Margaret Moore, Robert McCaully, Margaret McCaully, Noble Ousley, Naoma Ousley, William and Grace Pennington, McKamey Ruddle, Rachel Spikers, Peter Shelly, William and Silva Arnold, James and Margaret Cyrus, Elizabeth Duncan, Margaret Emerson, Walter Huston, Sen., Walter Huston, Jr., James and Harriet Hamilton, Joel B. and Catharine Huston, Waney Huston, Sen., Waney Huston, Jr., Zelpha Huston, David Shelley, Elizabeth Shelley, Eliza Spiker, Horatus and Eliza Weston.
The following persons have served as pastors : Elders Dodge, Patrick Murphy, Bedford Murphy, Reynolds, Kern, Ades, Ross, Lienrance, Coffee, Lucy, Fisher, Wallace, Huston, Goodnight and the present pastor, James McGuire.
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