Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. I, Part 26

Author: Conard, Howard Louis, ed. 1n
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: New York, Louisville [etc.] The Southern history company, Haldeman, Conard & co., proprietors
Number of Pages: 856

USA > Missouri > Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. I > Part 26

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Baptists .- There are in Missouri about 136,000 white Baptists, and about 20,000 col- ored Baptists. The white membershipis distrib- uted among 1,700 churches. There are seventy- five local or district Baptist Associations, of which these churches are the constituents. Of ordained Baptist ministers there are about I,- 000. In connection with Baptist Churches there are 1,031 Sabbath schools; enrolled in these schools are 60, 134 scholars ; these are officered and taught by 6,577 workers ; the average at- tendance of Sunday school scholars is 43,32.4. These schools contributed, in 1808, $22,357.58 to the work of the schools and to other mis- sionary and benevolent objects, Sixty-four of

the seventy-five associations report working Sabbath schools in the churches composing them.

Baptists in Missouri, like Baptists the world over, since the times of the apostles, are or- ganized into separate and independent congre- gations, scripturally designated churches. There is, therefore, no such thing as the Baptist Church. Each congregation is a separate and independent democracy. There is no or- ganic or constitutional bond of union between these separate organizations. The only bond that binds them in fellowship is agreement in faith and practice. Each church has its own declaration of faith, but in these different dec- larations there is almost exact concordance --- they are substantially the same. But notwith- standing these declarations, the Bible is taken and accepted as the only authority in deter- mining questions of doctrine and manner of life. This order of ecclesiasticism-while jure Divino (as claimed by Baptists)-presents a remarkable feature of general church his- tory. For millions of people to be held in the closest bonds of fellowship and co-operation for many centuries without a conventional basis of union is at once unique and sugges- tive. For many thousands of churches, hay- ing contemporaneous existence over conti- nents with organic union, to call and feel themselves one people, is unlike any other in- stitutional history. No one Baptist Church sustains any ecclesiastical relation to any other Baptist Church. Nevertheless, as a rule, there is co-operation in general evangelical and other benevolent enterprises.

Baptists were the Protestant, or rather, non- Roman Catholic Christian pioneers of Mis- souri. Before the purchase of the Louisiana country by Thomas Jefferson from Napoleon, Baptists came into the region from Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas. The first of these adventurous immigrants stopped in the southeastern portion of the territory, in what is now Cape Girardeau County. Here the first non-Roman Catholic church was organized. This was a congregation of the Baptists, and the organization was called the "Tywappity Baptist Church"-this word, Tywappity, is an Indian word, and its meaning is not known at this late day. This pioneer church had but a brief existence. It was succeeded by an or- ganization effected in 1806, in a neighbor- hood in Cape Girardeau County, a few miles from where the town of Jackson is now lo-

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cated, as the county seat of the county named. This organization was named "Bethel Baptist Church." A house of worship was erected, made of the timber of the forest in which it was located. Large poplar logs, hewn so as to present two flat surfaces, were prepared by the sturdy pioneers ; then followed a "house-rais- ing"-a term familiar to old-time settlers. This unpretentious "house of the Lord" was gladly used by the obscure, humble but de- voted worshipers for several years, when the church became extinct; but the membership became the constituent element for other Bap- tist Churches in contiguous neighborhoods.

The next church organization was effected in 1807. This was about twelve miles from St. Louis, on the St. Charles Road. This organiza- tion was named "Fee Fee's Creek Baptist Church," taking the name of the stream by the waters of which the new church was to make its home. This honored church survives until the present-1899-a prosperous and influen- tial congregation. It has had several promi- nent pastors, among whom were Joshua Hick- man, and John Hill Luther, the founder and long while editor of "The Central Baptist," the organ of the denomination in the State.

The pioneer Baptist preachers in Missouri were John Clark, Thomas Johnson, James Kerr and Thomas R. Musick. These men, in their voluntary missionary toils, were con- fronted by difficulties greater than the hard- ships of pioneer life and the dangers of savage enemies. Roman Catholicism, under alter- nating French and Spanish government, was the established religion. Civil law had in- vested the church with authority over the forms of worship, and as far as possible over the consciences of the people of the territory. "Heretics" (?) were forbidden under severe penalties from preaching and teaching their distinctive doctrines and from observing their own forms of worship. The priesthood was jealous of its authority, and not slow to inter- pose obstacles to heretical (?) preaching and worship. Besides these hindrances, French in- fidelity was rampant in the village of St. Louis. Opposition to Christianity was carried to the extent of declaring that the Sabbath should never cross the Mississippi River westward ; under these conditions Baptists could not as- semble themselves for worship except clandes- tinely, and this only occasionally and at night in the log cabin homes of the settlers.

Notwithstanding these painful interferences

with conscience and soul-liberty, Protestants continued to emigrate to the far-off Missouri country. Among these adventurers was a lib- eral proportion of Baptists. New churches were formed; associations of churches were constituted. These associations were for vol- untary co-operation in the spread of divine truth and the evangelization of the people. Such associations have never had, nor do they now have, any authority of any kind over the churches or the ministry. They are composed of such churches as voluntarily enter into the organization.

It is worthy of note in this connection that, in the times of these early missionary opera- tions, and in the year 1817, the Baptist General Convention-known as the "Triennial Con- vention"-an organization of American Bap- tists for foreign missionary work, but extinct since 1845, and the work of which has since been done by the American Baptist Mission- ary Union, sent two able missionaries into the Missouri country. These were the Revs. John M. Peck and James E. Welch. These were re- markable men. They were not only well equipped for the work of the ministry, but were endowed as well with moral and physical strength and courage, equal to any probable emergencies. The hardships to be endured, the rebuffs to be encountered, the hindrances to be tactfully manipulated and the obstacles to be overcome and the confidence to be gained required more than pulpit talent. Without the inspiration and support of a reli- gious atmosphere, and confronted on all sides by antagonisms, it was well that these men had knowledge of men and were possessed of a wise patience. To the labors of these two men are due the beginning of Baptist work and church organization in St. Louis. Writing of this period, the Rev. Dr. W. W. Boyd, pas- tor of Second Baptist Church, St. Louis, says : "With seven other Baptists they-Peck and Welch - began religious Baptists of St. Louis. services in the stone house of Joseph Robidoux, on the east side of Main Street, north of Myrtle Street. Amidst profane ribaldry on the one hand, and polite indifference on the other, these two men labored through the year 1817, increasing their little band to thirteen persons, one-half of all the Protestant professors at that time in St. Louis. And in February, 1818, with eleven others, they organized the First Baptist Church of St. Louis." The house of

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worship erected by this church was the first Protestant meetinghouse ever erected in St. Louis. It was built at a cost of $6,000. Through municipal claim to right of eminent domain this house was soon lost to the little band of self-sacrificing Christians. By Janu- ary of 1833 this church was practically extinct. In that month six of the members received let- ters of dismission ; these, with six others, or- ganized the Second Baptist Church of St. Louis. Concerning this step Dr. Boyd says : "The way had been prepared by Rev. Archer B. Smith, a missionary of the American Bap- tist Home Missionary Society, who came to the city in September of the previous year. Three months of earnest toil on Mr. Smith's part resulted in the holding of a preliminary

meeting on Saturday, January 5, 1833, and on . months after this great loss the chapel and

the next day twelve Baptists, six of whom had been members of the First Baptist Church, met in Elihu Shepherd's school room and constituted the Second Baptist Church of St. Louis."

This new organization was served in the pastoral office by Archer B. Smith and Wil- liam Hurley, respectively, until June, 1835, when the Home Mission Society, at the church's request, sent the Rev. Thomas Green to serve in the pastorate. The pastors of this church since Mr. Green's time have been the Revs. B. F. Brabrook, R. E. Patterson, Isaac Hinton and S. W. Lynd. Dr. Boyd says: "Two months after the arrival of Dr. Lynd a lot was bought at the southwest corner of Sixth and Locust Streets, where Barr's now stands, for $7.000, and the erection of a new meeting- house, to cost $15,000, began. On Angust 13, 1848, the new edifice was dedicated." In 1840 a German Baptist organization was ef- fected, which, in January, 1850, was consti- tnted the First German Baptist Church of St. Louis. This was a result of Second Church enterprise.

In October, 1849, the Rev. J. B. Jeter, of Virginia, became pastor of the Second Bap- tist Church. Of this period Dr. Boyd says : "The church was strong and ready for aggres- sive work. Under his (Jeter's) inspiring leadership the church united to send out colo- nies to constitute new churches. Thus, in 1850, the Third Baptist Church, now one of the strongest in the State, was organized; and in December of the same year the Fourth Bap- tist Church, from which sprang the Grand Avenue Church. Here Baptist city missions

took their rise." The Second Baptist Church has for many years been a strong, influential and useful church. Since Dr. Lynd's time the pastors have been the Rev. Drs. Daniel Read, Galusha Anderson, A. A. Kendrick, A. H. Burlingham, W. W. Boyd and J. W. Ford. Dr. Boyd is, at this writing (1899), pastor of this' church for the second time. His first term began May 1, 1877, and continued just ten years. During that pastorate a new meet- inghouse was erected in connection with an elegant stone chapel that had been built and finished under the pastorate of Dr. Burling- ham, on Beaumont and Locust Streets. This magnificent structure-auditorium and chapel -was destroyed by fire during the first year of Dr. Boyd's first pastorate. Within nine church were rebuilt and dedicated free of debt. On May 1, 1894, Dr. Boyd was recalled and entered upon his present (1899) pastoral charge of the Second Church.

The Third Baptist Church of St. Louis had for its first pastor the Rev. Joseph Walker. During this missionary pastorate the church was sustained in part by the Missouri Baptist General Association, and the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. The subsequent pastors were Washington Barnhurst, John Teasdale, J. V. Schofield, a brother of the distinguished General Schofield ; IV. Pope Yeaman, under whose seven years' pastorate great numerical. social, financial and spiritual strength was added to the church. He was succeeded by the Rev. Geo. A. Lofton, and he by the Rev. John P. Greene, under whose pastorate the church enjoyed great prosperity for ten years. During this pastor- ate the church moved its location from Clark Avenue, near Fourteenth Street, to Grand Avenue, near Washington Avenue, where the church erected a large and elegant house of worship. Dr. Greene was called from this church to the presidency of the William Jewell College, and was succeeded in the pastorate by the Rev. W. R. L. Smith, who for several years served most successfully and acceptably, when he was called to and accepted a promi- nent pastorate in Richmond, Virginia, and was succeeded by the Rev. R. P. Johnston, who is now ( 1899) the pastor. Among Missouri Bap- tists the Third Church at St. Louis is the most popular and influential church in the State. The social life of the membership, their liberal contributions to all denominational enter-

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prises in the State, their manifested sympathy with Baptists out of the State, have drawn to the church the cordial fellowship of Bap- tists generally. To this church is due the founding and maintenance of the Missouri Baptist Sanitarium.

From the Third Baptist Church went forth the Delmar Avenue Baptist Church, now lo- cated on Delmar Avenue and Forty-third Street. Here the church has a magnificent and commodious house of worship, erected of stone and admirably appointed for all of the requirements of a metropolitan church. Un- der the efficient administration of the present (1899) pastor, the Rev. J. T. M. Johnston, this church has been relieved of all debt on account of building. The former pastors of this church have been, in the order here named, the fol- lowing ministers: W. Pope Yeaman, J. C. Armstrong. J. II. Curry, Wm. Ilarris and J. S. Kirtly. The church was organized in 1877. with a constituent membership of thirty-five ; there are now about five hundred members.

The Fourth Baptist Church of St. Louis came into being, as before written, at the in - stance of the Second Church. This organiza- tion could not have weathered the storm of adversity but for the timely and commendable liberality of the late Honorable Marshal Brotherton, who, to save the church and its property, removed his membership from the Second Church and united with the Fourth, and with his own money redeemed the church property from mortgage. Subsequently, after having owned the property in fee simple, he conveyed it to the church unencumbered. Among the pastors of the Fourth Church have been the Revs. Abram Coles Osborne, D. T. Morrill, J. V. Schofield and Joshua Hickman. The present (1899) pastor is the Rev. A. P. Howells. For many years this church con- ducted the largest Sabbath school in the West, having at times as many as 1,200 schol- ars. At that time Mr. E. D. Jones was the active and enterprising superintendent. To this school Marshal Brotherton presented a large library, which the school caused to be elegantly encased and named "Brotherton Li- brary." To this worthy man honorable men- tion is due not only for his zeal in church work, but also for his general benevolence and sterling and useful qualities as a citizen.

Other Baptist Churches as fruits of mis- sionary enterprise, have been constituted in St. Louis. These are Lafayette Park, Rev.

T. C. Carlton, pastor : Carondelet, W. D. Bol- ton, pastor : Grand Avenue, Elisha Anderson, pastor : First Swedish, A. Lagerquist, pastor ; Maplewood, W. L. Nash, pastor : Taylor Ave- nue, J. A. M. Croush, pastor ; Tower Grove, Menta Sturgeon, pastor ; Water Tower. J. P. Herget, pastor ; Jefferson Avenue, German, A. Konzelmann, pastor : Immanuel, A. A. Kendrick, pastor ; West Park, Mission. W. (). Lewis, pastor. These were the pastors in 1899.

The white Baptists of St. Louis aggregate 6,000, holding membership in the several churches. The colored Baptists of the city are numerous and prosperous. The value of church property in the city is about $500,000.

From data furnished by the Rev. Dr. J. O'B. Lowry, pastor of the Cal-

Baptists in Kansas City. vary Baptist Church in Kansas City, the following facts are, in part, gathered : Baptist beginnings in that city were small ; now it is the center of the largest Baptist con- stituency west of the Mississippi River. In 1855 the enrolled membership was io; in 1882 it was 500; in 1899 the total approximates 5,000. The first organization of Baptists was effected April 21, 1855, in a house on Fifth Street, owned by another denomination. Rev. R. S. Thomas, at that time president of the William Jewell College, was the first pastor. In 1859 a habitat was secured. Early in the work Providence gave an impetus to the movement through the efforts of Rev. A. P. Williams, at that time the most eminent Baptist preacher in Missouri. Later came the Rev. J. W. Warder, and later still the Rev. J. C. Maple, and later still came the Rev. F. M. Ellis, who afterward rose to eminence as pastor in Den- ver, Boston, Baltimore and Brooklyn. Con- nected with the work were such laymen as D. L. Shouse, T. M. James, John B. Wornall, Johnson Lykens and T. S. Case. Of this num- ber T. M. James alone survives. In the year 1899 there were ten Baptist Churches sus- tained by white Baptists. Some of these have edifices representing large money value. One of these, the Calvary Church, Rev. Dr. J. O'B. Lowry, pastor, is one of the finest structures in the denomination, East or West.

"A part of the May Street membership found a new home in the bright chapel presented by the family of W. H. Harris. This is the home of the First Church to-day. Here such meu as Ellis and Vassar have ministered, and here an earnest work goes forward."

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The Calvary Baptist Church was organized in 1876, with thirty-eight members; now (1899) there are nearly 700 members. This church has had but two pastors, the Rev. J. E. Chambliss, D. D., and the Rev. J. O'B. Lowry, D. D., for seventeen years.

In 1880 a Baptist City Mission was formed. Through the efforts of this organization in co- operation with the Blue River Association and the board of the Missouri Baptist General As- sociation, missions have been started and new churches organized and aided until they num- ber half a score, with a membership of about 2,500. These are Olive Street Church, where Rev. W. T. Campbell was the first pastor, and through whose wise and untiring labors a self- sustaining church was built up and a house of worship erected. The Rev. J. R. Brown is the (1899) pastor. The Immanuel Church, Rev. M. D. Eubank, pastor ; the Tabernacle, Rev. W. J. Williamson; the Elmwood, Rev. A. Ingle ; the South Park, Rev. W. T. Cambell; the Michigan Avenue, Rev. S. M. Brown; to these should be added the Second Church, col- ored. Rev. L. W. Bacote, pastor. Besides these, the Scandinavian Baptists have an or- ganization, and a number of others,. unitedly representing the remarkable progress of the denomination in a city of phenomenal growth. The Westport Church, of which the Rev. J. S. Kirtly, D. D., is the pastor (1899), is one of the oldest in point of organization, but at this writing it has but recently become a Kansas City church, through the extension of the city limits. lIere the Honorable John B. Wornall lived and labored for many years.

"The personal clement is an interesting part of the history of progress. In a new country subsoil plows are in demand, and Providence sent into Missouri stalwart men as Christian Pioneers. With those already mentioned, the names of F. W. Furguson and Honorable John L. Peak, late United States minister to Switzerland, are connected with the cause in its earlier and later development. In the busi- ness world Baptist laymen are worthily promi- nent. In 1898 the Calvary congregation fur- nished five chairmen of committees in the leading commercial body in the city. The religious, social and commercial influence of the denomination is felt in the civic life."

Early in the history of Missouri, Baptist missionary work was be- Baptists of St. Joseph. gun in the then village of St. Joseph, situated in what

was known as the "Black-Snake Hills." As early as 1844, if not a year earlier, the Rev. P. N. IFaycraft did missionary work there and spoke of St. Joseph as a "rapidly growing village-an important station." Now (1899), in the large, wealthy, substantial and cultured city of St. Joseph, Baptists are an influential people. As far back as 1852 the Rev. Joshua Hickman ministered to a small church in that place-an organization now known as the First Baptist Church. This is a numerous and wealthy membership, worshiping in one of the finest church houses in the State, built and finished during the pastorate of R. P. John- ston, now a pastor in St. Louis. Among the pastors of this church since the time of Mr. Hickman have been Wm. Price, J. M. C. Breaker. D. D., Wm. Harris, J. L. Lawless, D. D., R. P. Johnston, D. D., and the (1899) incumbent, the Rev. J. Ernest Cook.

The Pattee Park Church of St. Joseph was organized in 1880 as a mission of the Baptist General Association, with the late Rev. Dr. E. S. Dulin as missionary pastor. He was suc- ceeded by the Rev. N. R. Pittman, under whose efficient administration the church prospered and grew, and a commodious brick house of worship was built. He was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. Lawless, who at this writing (1899) is the pastor.

The Savannah Street, and other mission churches in St. Joseph, illustrate Baptist en- terprise in that city.

Nearly every city and town in the State, be- sides those already mentioned, has one or more Baptist Churches. Prominent of these are Hannibal, Sedalia, Springfield, Moberly, Mexico, Columbia, Marshall, Lexington, Car- rollton, Liberty, Jefferson City, Charleston, Boonville, Trenton, Chillicothe. Macon City. Nevada, Carthage, Joplin, Fulton, Fayette. Bowling Green, Louisiana, Warrensburg, Plattsburg and others. A large proportion of the 1.700 Missouri Baptist Churches are in the rural districts, and are composed mainly of agriculturists and their families. Many of these churches are wealthy and influential in giving character and life to denominational enterprises.

Missouri Baptists, as a rule, are a missionary people, and have agencies Missionary for aggressive Christian Operations. work. Through these agen- cies they endeavor to sup- ply the gospel to destitute regions, and to aid

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in the sustentation of weak churches. For this purpose the seventy-five local or district associations were organized. The chief or- ganized agency is the Missouri Baptist Gen- eral Association. This body, organized in 1834, is not an association of smaller associa- tions, nor of churches, but a voluntary con- vention of persons chosen by such churches and district associations as choose to co- operate in the general objects of the body. It disclaims legislative or judicial authority over the churches, and never interferes with their local affairs nor with the ministry. It gives its attention and effort to State mission work and to education, general home and foreign mis- sions; besides these it fosters several chari- table enterprises. The efficiency of this asso- ciation in the progress of religion in Missouri is now a thing of historic verification. Besides aid in the work of local associations, in the supply of rural destitution, aid has been af- forded city and town churches until they be- came self-sustaining. A large number of the churches, now self-sustaining and influential, were in their early days sustained in whole or in part by this General Association. The amount of money collected and expended an- nually by this body for State missions is from $12,000 to $15,000. The district associations, aggregated, expend approximately the same amount, making a grand total of about $30,- 000 annually for cvangelical missions in the State. The supervision of State missions is by a board of the General Association, which commits the work mainly to a corresponding secretary. The present (1899) efficient incun- bent of that office is the Rev. T. L. West. The work of General Home and Foreign Missions, as represented by this association, is purely financial, giving moneycd aid to more general organizations representing, respectively, these two fields of christian endeavor. This work is directed by a "Board of General Home and Foreign Missions," appointed by the General Association. Of this board the Rev. Dr. Manly J. Breaker is the corresponding secre- tary, who is an able minister and successful financial agent.

The whole amount expended by the Mis- souri Baptist General Association since its or- ganization in 1834, exclusively for State missions, is approximately, down to 1899, the sum of $320,000. The largest amount cx- pended in any one year was $15.799.25. This was in 1884. From the time of the organiza-

tion of the General Association to October, 1898, the missionaries under commission from that association had preached 120,331 sermons to the people of the religiously destitute re- gions of the State, and had baptized into the churches over 26,000 persons upon their indi- vidual confession of faith in Christ. This was exclusive of the work of pastors and independ- ent evangelists. The General Association does not receive statistical or other reports from the churches or local associations. It tabulates nothing but its own missionary operations and the results of the work.

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Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. I, Part 26

Author: Conard, Howard Louis, ed. 1n Publication date: 1901 Publisher: New York, Louisville [etc.] The Southern history company, Haldeman, Conard & co., proprietors Number of Pages: 856

Author: Conard, Howard Louis, ed. 1n
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: New York, Louisville [etc.] The Southern history company, Haldeman, Conard & co., proprietors
Number of Pages: 856