USA > Missouri > DeKalb County > History of Andrew and De Kalb counties, Missouri : from earliest time to the present; together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and family records. besides a condensed history of the state of Missouri, etc > Part 43
USA > Missouri > Andrew County > History of Andrew and De Kalb counties, Missouri : from earliest time to the present; together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and family records. besides a condensed history of the state of Missouri, etc > Part 43
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The Nodaway Baptist Church, in Lincoln Township, is said to be the oldest religious organization in Andrew County, dating
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its existence from about the year 1839. Among the early set- tlers on Hackberry were several families who had belonged to the Primitive Baptist Church in Clay County, and within a short time after their arrival here, Elders Wolverton and Hill visited the settlement at stated intervals, and held meetings from cabin to cabin. These services finally resulted in the organization of a church, among the earliest members of which were Russell Reynolds and wife; Frank Wrightsman and wife; Jonathan Job and wife; Benjamin Officer and wife; John Kitchen and wife; Benjamin Kitchen and wife; Jonathan Earls and wife; Mrs. Archibald Stevenson and Mrs. James Goodlow. The organiza- tion was effected at the residence of Russell Reynolds, and the following year (1840) a frame house of worship was built on land donated by Benjamin Officer and Jonathan Job, the first church building in the Platte Purchase. The old building is still standing, having been remodeled at different times. Elder John Edwards was the first regular pastor of the church, and after him came Elders Columbus Patton, Henry Hill, Mr. Duvall, Jonathan Adkins, E. Tillery, William Tillery, E. Penney,-Lowe, Thomas Todd, Frank Jenkins and others. Within three or four years after the organization,the membership of the church had increased to over 100, and still later the records contained the names of nearly if not quite twice that number of communicants. Schisms arising from differences in belief among the members caused great dissatisfaction along about 1849 or 1850, and a year or two later a division occurred, a part of the members with- drawing and organizing what is known as the Mount Zion Church.
Those who remained clung to the teachings of the Old School Baptist faith and have kept up the organization until the present time, their membership numbering about fifty in 1887. Regu- lar services are held every month by Elder Pollard, of St. Jo- seph, and the society is in a prosperous condition.
The Mount Zion Church was kept up for a number of years, and at one time was quite a flourishing organization. A church building was erected which is still in use, known now as the Union Church, on account of its being used by several denomi- nations. The Baptist Society was disbanded some years ago,
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although services are occasionally held by ministers of the de- nomination.
An organization of the Christian Church was effected many years ago in the southeast part of Lincoln Township, and about 1850 a house of worship was built on the land of Nathan Culp. Elder Prince L. Hudgens preached for the congregation for a series of years, but owing to other churches springing up at Sa- vannah and Lincoln Creek, near Fillmore, it was thought best to abandon the organization, which was accordingly done some time in the sixties.
The Roman Catholics organized a small church on Nodaway Island a number of years ago, which is still kept up. The Hack- berry Presbyterian Church, an offshoot of the Savannah con- gregation, to which reference has already been made, meets for worship in a beautiful frame edifice erected about the year 1870. The society is not very strong in numbers, but is doing a good work in the community.
The Methodist Episcopal Church South had an organization a number of years ago in the central part of the township. A house of worship was erected in 1859 but burned in 1865, after which the organization was abandoned.
Cumberland Ridge Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in Jefferson Township, is one of the oldest religious organiza- tions in Andrew County, having been established as early as 1844. The present site of the church, four miles southeast of the county seat, was formerly known as the "Savannah camp ground," for it was here that large and overflowing camp meet- ings were regularly held for many years, the attendance at the same frequently reaching far to the thousands. The first meet- ings by the Cumberland Presbyterians in this locality were held at the residences of Young E. Miller and Silas Best, and among the first preachers were Revs. Henry Eppler and Hugh R. Smith, who visited the neighborhood as early as 1843. The church was formally constituted in 1844, the following being among the earliest members: Young E. Miller and family, William Miller and family, Mrs. Margaret Miller and family, Eli Hughes, Samuel Miller and wife, Emily A. Young, O. D. Allen, Robert Jones, A. G. Guthrie and Claiborne Davis. A house of worship
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was erected in 1848 on the land of Y. E. Miller, and was used thereafter for many years. It was a hewed log structure, and is still standing, though in a very decayed condition. The present building was erected in 1880. Present membership is about sev- enty. Rev. F. M. Miller is pastor in charge at this time, and L. D. Carter is superintendent of the flourishing Sunday-school, in which five teachers look after the interests of about fifty schol- ars.
Fairview Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the original Jamestown society, has a neat house of worship on the Roches- ter and St. Joseph road, near the Buchanan County line, and is one of the aggressive religious organizations in the southern part of the county. The church has an active membership, and the pastor, Rev. F. M. Miller, has by his earnest efforts in be- half of the congregation accomplished much lasting good in the community.
In the southern part of Jefferson Township is a class of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which meets for worship in the union building already alluded to. This class, while few in numbers, is in a prosperous condition, and its future outlook is encouraging.
A society of the Methodist Episcopal Church South was or- ganized several years ago at Cumberland Ridge, but within a short time it was abandoned, the few members living in the vicin- ity joining other congregations. The churches of Jefferson Town- ship at this time are all well sustained, and the people of that part of the county enjoy the reputation of being a moral and religious community.
The oldest religious society in what is now Monroe Township is the Bethel Baptist Church, organized originally on the One- Hundred-and-Two River as long ago as 1842. After meeting for a short time in the residences of the members a hewed log house of worship was erected by Rev. Mr. Reed, where the congrega- tion met for worship for a number of years. The organization was subsequently moved to its present location, about two and a half miles east of Cosby in Monroe Township, where a frame building, suitable to the requirements of the congregation, was afterwards erected. A new house was built in 1884, and the con-
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gregation, while not so strong as formerly, is still in good condi- tion. Rev. Laney Woods is pastor in charge at this time.
High Prairie Baptist Church in the western part of Monroe is an old organization, its history dating from late in the forties or early in the fifties. The first house of worship was a log structure abandoned in 1866, at which time the present frame building was erected. The present condition of this church is said to be encouraging, and through its influences many have been induced to abandon the paths of sin for the narrow way leading to peace and holiness.
About four and a half miles southeast of Cosby is a society of the Albright Church, established about the year 1879. A fine frame building was erected the following year, since which time the organization has continued to increase in numbers and influence, having at this time a very strong and aggressive mem- bership. The German Methodists erected a frame church edi- fice one and a half miles southeast of Cosby in 1884, organizing a class at the same time, which has continued to increase in mem- bership. The building, while small, is neatly finished and fur- nished, and the society supported entirely by the German ele- ment has already proved the means of accomplishing great good in the vicinity.
The Methodist Episcopal Church has a small class in the village of Cosby, and at this time preparations are being made for the erection of a suitable house of worship.
The religious history of Rochester Township dates from its. earliest settlement, many of the pioneers of this part of the county having been active members of different churches in the country from which they emigrated. In the new country, with its sparse population, there were few if any stationary preachers, yet repre- sentatives from several denominations early traversed this region, conducting religious exercises in the cabins of the settlers. Liv- ing remote from each other, and spending much of their time in domestic solitude in the vast forests, the pioneers came to look upon these appointments as pleasing changes, which enabled them to meet for the interchange of social congratulation as well as for religious worship. The first of these meetings were held by traveling ministers of the Methodist Church, after whom came
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the Baptists and Presbyterians, who visited the different settle- ments from time to time, conducting public worship in groves. and private dwellings. A Methodist class was organized at the village of Rochester in an early day, the history of which has in the main been forgotten. It grew and flourished, however, until war times, when, owing to the unsettled state of the country, the organization was in a manner disrupted. It was subsequently revived, and kept up for a number of years, but at this time meet- ings are only held at irregular intervals. The Cumberland Presby- terians early organized a church in the village, which is still kept up. Their building erected in 1874, at a cost of about $3,000, is one of the handsomest and most commodious church edifices in Andrew County. Rev. F. M. Miller is pastor, and the congrega- tion, under his effective labors, have taken on new life and vitality.
The Christians have a good society in the village, and a flour- ishing church in the southwest part of the township, known by the name of Long Branch. The latter is quite an old congrega- tion having been organized some time in the fifties, and at the present time has a large and influential membership. The Cherry Grove Methodist Episcopal Church, in the northwestern part of the township, is a small class, organized late in the six- ties, and meeting for worship in a schoolhouse, not having any building.
The Helena Methodist Church was organized in the fall of 1866 by Rev. James Showalter, who had visited the vil- lage at different times, and held meetings in the schoolhouse. The following members were enrolled at the date of organi- zation: Solomon Augustine, Ellen Augustine, John Lane and wife, Reuben Augustine and Mrs. Potter. Later several members from the Rochester class joined the congregation, which has increased until at the present time there are about twenty- five communicants. Rev. Mr. Showalter is still pastor in charge, and it is to him that credit is largely due for the erection of the beautiful house of worship which was completed about the time of the organization, at a cost of $1,000.
In connection with the church is a Sunday-school, the average attendance of which is about forty. James Showalter is super- intendent, Robert Irwin, Mrs. Bond, Julia Carroll, Mrs. Mary
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Todd, and Miss Patty Wright are teachers. The trustees of the church are Sol. Augustine, Dr. M. L. Thomas, William Dale George Ott and Mr. Blackburn.
ROSENDALE CHURCHES.
The oldest religious society in Rosendale is the Presbyterian Church, organized in May, 1869, by Rev. John N. Young, with twelve members, among whom were the following: J. C. McCan- dless and wife, Joseph Gilmore and wife, H. W. Gilchrist and wife and Andrew Muir and wife. For a period of six months meetings were held in groves and private residences, but at the end of that time measures were inaugurated for the erection of a house of worship, which was built in due time, on ground donated for the purpose by J. C. McCandless. The house is a comfortable frame structure, and originally stood near the western limit of the town, but was subsequently refitted and moved to a lot near the central part. The first regular pastor of the church was Rev. M. L. Anderson, who preached with great acceptance for three or four years, doing much during that time to establish the society upon a permanent and substantial basis. He has preached at intervals ever since, and at this time, though not the regular pastor, looks after the interests of the society with much care and assiduity. Rev. Mr. Pallock succeeded Mr. Anderson, and after a pastorate of one year was followed by the latter, who was in turn succeeded by the present incumbent, Rev. James Reed, of Savannah. At one time the church was quite strong, but owing to deaths and removals its membership has greatly decreased, there being at this time about thirty names upon the records. It has lately taken on new life, however, and the future outlook is encouraging. The elders are J. W. Porterfield and David At- kinson. Mr. Porterfield is also superintendent of the Sunday- school, which has an average attendance of about thirty-five scholars. M. L. Anderson, Mrs. Bickett and Miss Nellie Ander- son are teachers.
Rosendale Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1875 by Rev. Isaac Shivington, who began preaching a short time prior to that date in the village schoolhouse. The follow- ing were among the members at the time of organization: W. H.
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Crosby and wife, William Stanton and wife, W. A. Ennis and wife and T. H. Laney and wife. A neat frame house of worship was erected in 1880 at a cost of $1,200. Since its organization the class has belonged successively to Barnard, Amazonia and Empire circuits and at this time is the head of Rosendale circuit. The following pastors have had charge of the church from time to time: Rev. Isaac Shivington, Samuel Huffman, E. V. Roof, O. S. Middleton, Mr. Jewett, S. H. Enyart, H. T. Robbins, J. A. Showalter and Eri Edmonds, the last named being the present pastor. The class at this time while small, numbering about forty members, is in a prosperous condition, and bids fair to remain an important factor for good in the community. A good Sunday- school is sustained the greater part of the year, the superintend- ent of which is T. S. Colburn. Teachers are John Laney, David Watts, Sarah Crosby and Eliza Tilson.
Near Rosendale are two large and flourishing organizations of the Christian Church, which meet for worship in fine frame buildings, among the best specimens of church architecture in Andrew County. The members of these societies are active and aggressive, and under the efficient labors of Elder W. A. Chapman are accomplishing a vast amount of good in their respective com- munities. The Methodists have a prosperous society a few miles east of the village, while other religious organizations in various parts of the township attest the moral character of the citizens of this part of the country.
HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
TOPOGRAPHY.
D E KALB COUNTY is admirably situated in the midst of the far-famed region of Northwest Missouri, and embraces a superficial area of 411g square miles or 263,608 acres bounded as follows: On the north by Gentry County, on the east by Daviess and Caldwell, on the south by Clinton, and on the west by the counties of Andrew and Buchanan.
It is in about the same latitude as the cities of Quincy, Indianapolis and Philadelphia, and according to the geological map prepared by Prof. Swallow has an altitude of 1,000 feet above the level of the sea.
The surface of the country is agreeably diversified with hill and dale, valley and upland, but no section of the county is too broken for agricultural purposes.
Adjacent to the various water courses is some rough land, the broken parts being confined principally to the timbered dis- tricts in the southern, central and eastern portions of the county. The greater part of the county is composed of beautifully rolling prairies, characterized by alluvial soil of imposing depth and fer- tility. These prairies when first seen by white men were covered with a dense growth of grass, which frequently attained a height of from six to eight feet. The proportion of level prairie is quite limited, the greater part being high and rolling, and admirably adapted for farming and stock raising. The northwest portion of the county is nearly all prairie land, while prairie and timber alternate in other parts, there being a sufficiency of timber for all practical purposes upon nearly every farm.
Along the streams by which the county is traversed are dis- ributed about 55,000 acres of fine timber. It is difficult to
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conceive how the supply of timber could be better regulated by the people themselves had they the control of it. It is ample to meet all the wants of the county when it shall become fully populated and is so situated that no point is located more than three miles from one of these belts. The best and most abun- dant supplies of timber lie in the southern part of the county, where the growth is black oak, shell bark, walnut, red chestnut, oak, white oak, cottonwood and other varieties. Near the edges of the prairies are pine, oak, hazel, plum, dogwood, wild cherry, laurel, oak, rose, coral berry, etc.
The following list may be taken as including nearly if not all the trees and shrubs found growing in the county:
Walnut, the different varieties of oak, red elm, several kinds of hickory, sycamore, sugar tree, American elm, linden and bass wood, white maple, honey-locust, iron-wood, black cherry, crab- apple, prickly-ash, buckeye, coral berry, choke-cherry, coffee tree, cottonwood, panicled dogwood, kinnikinick, elder, hazel, summer grape, frost grape, river grape, wahoo, Virginia creeper, prairie rose, blackberry, box-elder, green-brier, hackberry, black haw, red haw, hawthorn, gooseberry, honeysuckle, mulberry, rasp- berry, sumac.
STREAMS.
De Kalb County is well watered and drained by a number of streams which traverse the country in all directions. Grindstone Creek, a large tributary of Grand River, runs from south to north through the eastern portion, and affords ample drainage for a large area of territory. It took its name from the peculiar sandstone found along its banks, out of which the early settlers of the county manufactured grindstones. Lost Creek, with its numerous tributaries, waters and drains the central part of the county. It flows in a southeasterly direction, and receives in its course north and south branches of Lost Creek, both streams of considerable importance. These creeks were so named on account of several United States soldiers having become lost in their vicinity several years before the organization of the county. Among other streams which play an important part in the drain- age of the county are Owens' Creek, Peach Creek, Irving's Branch, East Lost Creek, Muddy Creek, Morgan's Branch, Big Fork,
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Butler Creek, West Fork of Third Fork, Big Third Fork, Crooked Creek, Little Third Fork and Evans' Branch.
Some of the above streams frequently become entirely dry, but in wet seasons and during the freshets they often overflow their banks for considerable distance on each side. Springs af- fording an abundance of pure cold water abound in various parts of the county, and water can be easily reached by digging.
STONE.
The rocks in De Kalb County all belong to the upper coal measures, and include mostly limestone and sandstone, with a small proportion of shales. The finest of limestone may be found in almost all parts of the county, but the most prominent outcrops are in the central and southern portions. It makes a good building stone, and has been much used. The texture of the stone is often fine grained, and it has proved very durable. The sandstone found in different sections, but principally along Grindstone Creek, is superior for building purposes, and has been utilized for foundations and chimneys, also for grindstone.
Poor land is scarcely known in De Kalb County, the soil being uniformly good. It may be described as a black vegetable mold, with sufficient sand intermixed to render it friable and easily tilled. This loam on the uplands has an average depth of about two feet, while on the lower and bottom lands it not un- frequently reaches to four and five times that depth. Underly- ing this surface loam is a clayey sub-soil, in nearly all instances sufficiently porous to admit readily the passage of water that may fall upon it. The land adjacent to the various water courses is characterized by a peculiarly porous soil, capable of resisting the extremes of drought and moisture in a wonderful manner.
The climate of De Kalb County, as may be seen from its geo- graphical situation, is similar to that of New Jersey in the East, and that of central Ohio and Illinois in the Central West. The air is singularly pure and dry, rendering the country almost free from consumption, asthma, bronchitis, laryngitis, and the dis- eases and ailments most dreaded by the inhabitants of the East- ern and Central States. The hottest weather noted for a number of years has been 101º Fahrenheit, while the lowest the mercury
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has touched during the same period has been 26° below zero. Of course these figures simply represent the greatest extremes, a happy mean being the general average. The mean annual temperature, as shown by Englemann's Climatological Chart, pub- lished in 1874, was 50 degrees. As a natural consequence of such a climate, De Kalb County has always been noted for its healthfulness.
PRODUCTIONS.
De Kalb may be called, emphatically, an agricultural county, and as such ranks with the best grain producing sections of the West. The grasses, both native and domestic, are remarkable for their rank and heavy growth, while all the cereals indigenous to this latitude are raised in abundance. ' As a corn country it is unsurpassed, the yield ranging from thirty to ninety bushels per acre. This is generally the principal crop raised by the farmers of the county, and the quality of the grain is in keeping with the quantity. The prairie lands are better adapted to corn than the timbered districts, although the latter, when properly culti- vated, never fail in producing abundantly of this most im- portant product.
For general farming the lands of the county have no superior in Northwest Missouri. Next to corn, winter wheat is the most profitable crop, yielding from twelve to thirty-five bushels to the acre, according to season and culture. The wooded districts are peculiarly adapted to wheat, and in fact to all other cereals-rye, oats and barley being raised in large quantities; also broom corn, sorghum and millet, all of which return handsome profits to the grower. One of the most important crops raised in the early days of the county was hemp, which yielded from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds to the acre, and was usually sold at from $135 to $160 per ton, undressed, in the markets of St. Louis and other cities. Since the war but little attention has been paid to its cultivation. Tobacco was also profitably raised in certain sections of the county prior to the war, but of late years it has not been to any great extent. Wild fruit of almost every description indigenous to the climate grows here almost spontaneously, while native grasses flourish in their beauty, covering the prairies with their rich and variegated verdure.
19A
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HORTICULTURE.
Gardening, or horticulture in its restricted sense, has not as yet proved a very important feature in De Kalb County. If, however, we take a broad view of the subject and include orchards, small fruit culture, and the kindred branches outside of agri- culture, we shall find something of more interest and value. There can be but little doubt that, if the farmers were to devote more of the attention that is given to grain to fruit growing, par- ticularly in the timbered sections of the county, the experiment would pay and pay well. The climate of this portion of the State is better adapted to fruit culture than farther north, and it is cer- tainly an easy and pleasant way of making money. The apple is the hardiest and most reliable of all the fruits for this region, and there are more acres in apple orchards, perhaps, than in all other fruits combined. The first trees were carried here by the pioneers themselves, and were seedling sprouts brought from the old homes in other counties and States. Apples are now raised in great quantities, and a farm without a well kept orchard is an exception. The quality of the fruit will compare with the very best raised in any other portion of the State, and the buying and shipping of it, during certain seasons of the year, has already become quite an important and lucrative industry. Considerable attention has been given to peach culture, but of late years the crop has not always proved a sure one. In favorable seasons, however, the yield of the fruit is very large, and well repays for time and attention devoted to its culture. Fair success has at- tended the cultivation of the pear, but of late years it has suf- fered considerably from the blight. With this scourge removed, Northwest Missouri can compete with any section of the country in pear raising. The cultivation of the cherry, plum, apricot and quince, while followed to some extent, has been mostly for domestic use and not for commercial purposes. All of these fruits develop well, and with proper attention to their culture would return a handsome profit to the grower.
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