History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I, Part 32

Author: Douglass, Robert Sidney. 4n
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844

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ardeau, Perry, Madison, St. Francois, Wayne and Stoddard counties. He later became a missionary for the American Baptist Home Mission Society. In 1834 he organized a Bap- tist church at Cape Girardeau. There were nine members at that time and Elder Greene became the first pastor. After two years he removed to St. Louis, where he was pastor of the Second Baptist church. Elder Greene had been educated as a printer, and had at one time conducted a little weekly paper him- self. This was a combination paper, being part a religious weekly and in part a news- paper. It was this training and experience which led to Greene's selection as an associate of John Mason Peck in the attempt to publish a paper at Rock Spring, Illinois. He was to look after the actual details of printing and publication.

Thomas P. Greene was a man of great abil- ity. He is said to have resembled Senator Benton, and to have possessed something of Benton's oratorical capability. He had only limited opportunities for education, but con- tinued his studies all through his life and became quite a scholar. Hon. Samuel M Greene, of Cape Girardeau, is his son.

Some of the other ministers who were con- nected with Bethel church, or with the asso- ciation during this period, were John Farrar, William Street, James P. Edwards and Win- gate Jackson. William Street was one of the early settlers in Wayne county, and was held in high esteem both as a citizen and a minis- ter. He died in 1843. John Farrar was a resident of Madison county nntil 1825, when he was removed to Washington county. He died there in 1829. In 1811 James P. Ed- wards moved to Cape Girardeau from Ken- tncky. He was a lawyer, but was ordained as a minister in 1812, and afterward removed to Illinois. Wingate Jackson was a Virginian.

He was born in 1776 and resided for a num- ber of years in Kentucky. About 1804 he located at New Tennessee, Ste. Genevieve county, where he died in 1835. It was under his ministry that Hepzibah church was estab- lished in 1820. The constituent members were Wingate Jackson, Obadiah Scott, Noah Hunt, and Joel and Enos Hamers.

In 1814 a committee of Bethel church was appointed to draw up a plan for the organi- zation of an association of the Missouri churches. Invitations were sent to the va- rious churches to meet the committee from Bethel church and for the consideration of this matter the representatives of the various churches met in Bethel in June, 1816. Bethel church was represented by Thomas Bull, John Sheppard, Benjamin Thompson and Robert English. Tywappity church was represented by Henry Cockerham, John Baldwin, and William Ross. Providence church was rep- resented by William Savage; Saline church, by Elder Thomas Donohoe and John Duvall ; St. Francois church, by Elder William Street and Jonathan Hubble; Turkey Creek church, by William Johnson, Daniel Johnson, E. Re- velle and S. Baker.

The organization thus effected was in the nature of a preliminary organization and it was decided to hold another meeting in Sep- tember, 1816, at Bethel church. At this meet- ing, which was participated in by Bethel, Tywappity, Providence, Barren, Bellevue, St. Francois and Dry Creek churches, an associa- tion was constituted which was named Bethel association. These seven churches had an aggregate membership of 230, and there were five ministers included in the association.

One of the famons and most active Baptist ministers of this time was John Mason Peck.

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He did not live in Southeast Missouri, but spent most of the years of his residence within the state, in St. Louis. On various occasions he visited the churches in Southeast Missouri and exercised a great influence on the devel- opment of religious work in this section. He resided for a time in New York and began his ministerial work there. He was appointed by the Home Missionary Society to prosecute the work of the church in Missouri. Accompanied by his family and by another minister named James E. Welch, he came to the state in 1817. The next twenty years of lis life were spent in teaching, preaching and organizing all over the section. He was a student and collected most copious notes on social, religious and po- litical conditions of Missouri. He was an in- defatigable writer. His influence was very great over the course of Baptist development. and he, more than any other man, was respon- sible for the missionary spirit that prevailed among the churches of the early day.

The itinerant preachers of the Methodist church have always been found among the first in every new country. As soon as the restrictions on religious worship were removed from the people of Louisiana by the transfer to the United States, arrangements began to be made for sending a Methodist preacher to the territory. The Western Conference, which included all the territory west of the Alle- ghany mountains, at its meeting in Greenville, Tennessee, in 1806, appointed John Travis to the Missouri circuit. He entered upon his work here and established two districts, the Missouri district and the Maramec district, the latter being south of the Missouri river. In 1807 Edward Wilcox was appointed to the Maramec circuit, and in 1808 Joseph Oglesby was appointed; he, however, did not take up the work and his place was supplied by

Thomas Wright, and Z. Maddox was ap- pointed as local preacher to look after the Cape Girardeau district.

The first Methodist society west of the Mis- sissippi river was organized about 1806 at McKendree, three miles west of Jackson in Cape Girardeau county. Among the members of this church were William Williams and wife, John Randol and wife, Thomas Blair, Simon and Isaiah Poe, Charnel Glascock and the Seeleys. Within a short time after the organization of this church a meeting house was erected of large, hewn poplar logs. The house was in a beautiful situation near a spring and shaded by large oak trees. It soon became famous as a camp ground and was the site of many camp meetings. The house, with some alterations and repairs, is still in exist- ence. It is, perhaps, the oldest Protestant meeting house west of the Mississippi river.

It is a question as to what minister organ- ized this early Methodist society. When John Travis came to Missouri he found this church already in existence, and it seems probable that it had been organized by Rev. Jesse Walker, who, in 1804, was stationed near the mouth of the Cumberland river, and who afterward came to Missouri. In 1806, while the Western Conference sent Travis to Mis- souri, it also sent Walker to Illinois. It seems, however, to be fairly certain that he did not confine his labors to Illinois, but crossed over, preached, and organized churches in what is now Missouri. When the confer- ence met in 1807, at Chillicothe, Ohio, Travis reported that the two circuits, Cape Girar- deau and the Maramec, had one hundred and six members. At this time Walker was as- signed to the Cape Girardeau circuit. He came to Missouri in the summer of that year and was accompanied ou his trip by William McKendree, who was then presiding elder of

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the Illinois district. He held the first quar- terly meeting with Travis in that year on the Maramec river, it seems, at the place where Lewis chapel is now located.

In 1808 the Western Conference appointed the Rev. Jesse Walker for the Cape Girar- deau circuit and Rev. David Young and Rev. Thomas Wright for the Maramec circuit. This territory was then part of the Indiana district, over which Samuel Parker was pre- siding elder. Rev. Parker visited the Cape Girardean circuit in that year, and came to the town of Cape Girardeau, where he preached the first sermon ever heard in the town. This was at the house of William Scripps, who was an Englishman, having come to America in 1791 and to Cape Girardeau in 1808. Scripps was a tanner by trade and he and Rev. Parker had been acquainted in Virginia. One of the sons of William Scripps, whose name was John, was admitted, at the conference in 1814, as a preacher on trial. Later, he was taken into full connection with the church and was active as a minister until his removal to Illinois in 1820.

In 1810 Jesse Walker and John Scripps crossed the big swamp to the New Madrid dis- trict and organized the New Madrid circuit. They traveled this circuit in connection with the Cape Girardeau circuit. There were thirty members in this circuit the first year. In this year, 1810, the first camp meeting in Cape Girardeau county was held on the camp ground in connection with McKendree chapel. Walker, Wright, and Presiding Elder Parker were present and conducted the eamp meeting.

The conference of 1810 assigned John Mc- Farland to the Maramec circuit and reap- pointed Walker to the Cape Girardeau circuit. Walker did not remain and McFarland min-

istered to both the circuits. In 1811 MeFar- land was placed in charge of both Cape Gir- ardeau and New Madrid circuits and Thomas Wright was sent to the Maramec. In 1812 Cape Girardeau and the New Madrid circuits were divided. Benjamin Edge was appointed to the work at Cape Girardeau and William Hart to that at New Madrid. In 1813 Thomas Wright was assigned to Cape Girardeau and Thomas Nixon to New Madrid.

In 1812 a camp meeting was held in what is now Madison county, though it was then a part of Ste. Genevieve county. The meet- ing was conducted by Thomas Wright and it was the first camp meeting held in Ste. Gene- vieve county. Like the great revival meeting by Wilson Thompson, in Bethel Baptist church, it followed very closely after the earthquake at New Madrid.

In 1814 the conference received John C. Harbison on trial. Harbison had been a resi- dent of the district since 1798, but up to this time had been employed as a teacher at Mt. Tabor, and had also practiced law for a short period. He was of Scotch-Irish descent and had lived in other states before coming to Missouri. His descendants still live in Scott county. It is said that Harbison had been, for a long time, addicted to gambling and drunkenness before he became a member of the church, and that after he was converted and living an exemplary life as a minister, he met some of his former companions who chal- lenged him to play a game of poker. He agreed to do this, provided that after the game was over they would listen to the ser- mon which he was to preach at the church. They agreed to this, and he preached such a powerful and convincing sermon that those who heard abandoned their wicked courses of life .*

In the same year Thomas Wright was ap- * Houck, Vol. III, p. 238.

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pointed to the Cape Girardeau circuit, and Asa Overall began work in the New Madrid circuit. There was also formed this year a new circuit to include the territory between the Maramec and Apple creek. This was given the name of Saline circuit. Preaching was held at several points within this circuit, principally at the Murphy settlement, Cook settlement, Callaway settlement and new Ten- nessee.

The Murphy settlement was the oldest Methodist community west of the Mississippi river, and probably contained more Method- ists than any other. The first Methodist ser- mon west of the river was preached in the Murphy settlement in 1804, by Joseph Ogles- by. This was at the house of Mrs. Sarah Murphy. One of the early Methodist preach- ers in the Saline circuit was Jacob White- side. This circuit had, at the close of the year 1815, one hundred and fifteen members.

The conference in 1815 appointed Philip Davis to the New Madrid circuit, Jesse Haile for the Cape Girardeau circuit and Thomas Wright for the Saline circuit.

In 1816 a new conference was organized at Shiloh meeting house near Belleville, Illi- nois. It comprised Saline, Cape Girardeau, New Madrid and the St. Francois circuits and was called the Missonri Conference. Samuel HI. Thompson was made presiding elder of the conference, and Bishop Roberts presided at the meeting. The conference appointed Thomas Wright and Alexander McAlister to the Cape Girardeau and New Madrid circuits, and John C. Harbison to Saline circuit. In 1817 Thomas Wright was sent to Saline cir- cuit, Joseph Spiggott to New Madrid circuit and Rucker Tanner to St. Francois circuit, while the Cape Girardeau circuit was left to be supplied.

Tanner was a rather remarkable man. He had been a very reckless youth and had spent his early life in the New Madrid district. It is related of him that on one occasion he and an elder brother made a trip to New Orleans, and while there ran short of funds. After all their money was exhausted, it was ar- ranged between them that R. Tanner, whose complexion was very dark, should be sold by his brother as a slave. This arrangement was carried out and the elder brother departed with the money. After a considerable diffi- culty, R. Tanner succeeded in regaining his freedom and escaped from the country. He started to walk home but on the way hired himself out to a local Methodist preacher. He lived with this preacher for some time, becoming converted and professing a desire to preach. It may be imagined that his re- turn home was a great surprise to his friends, who had thonght him long since dead. Almost immediately upon his return he announced an appointment to preach. It was such a sur- prising thing that this reckless yonthi should be preparing for the ministry, that a very large congregation assembled to hear his first attempt. He was very soon admitted to the conference and appointed, as we have said, to the St. Francois circuit. For the years 1818 and '19 Saline circuit was served by Thomas Wright, Cape Girardean circuit by John Scripps and the St. Francois circuit by John McFarland.

There is a question as to when the first con- ference west of the river was held. Septem- ber 14, 1819, is sometimes given as the date of the beginning of the first conference. This conference was held at McKendree chapel. There is some authority, however, for believ- ing that there had been a conference hield in 1818 at Mt. Zion church in the Murphy set- tlement, at which conference Bishop McKen-

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dree presided. The appointments made in 1819 were John McFarland to the Saline cir- cuit; Joseph Spiggott to the Bellevue circuit (which had, in the meantime, been organ- ized); Philip Davis to the St. Francois cir- cuit; Samuel Glaize to the Cape Girardeau circuit, and William Townsend to the New Madrid circuit.

When the conference met in 1820 it was decided to create a new district. This was called the Cape Girardeau district and Thomas Wright was appointed as presiding elder. The preachers for the year were: Bellevue circuit, John Harris; Saline and St. Francois circuits, Samuel Bassett; Spring River, which was a new circuit, Isaac Brook- field; White River, another new circuit, W. W. Redman; Cape Girardeau circuit, Philip Davis; and New Madrid circuit, Jesse Haile.

When Missouri was admitted to the Union in 1821, Thomas Wright was continued as presiding elder, Thomas Davis was sent to the Cape Girardeau circuit, Philip Davis to the Saline circuit, John Cord to the St. Francois circuit, Abram Epler to Spring River, and Washington Orr to the New Mad- rid circuit.

The Presbyterians did not begin their work in Southeast Missouri quite so early as the Baptists and Methodists. The beginning of their interest in Missouri probably dates from the year 1812. In that year the Missionary Society of New England appointed two men, the Rev. John T. Schermerhorn and the Rev. Samuel J. Mills, as agents to ascertain the religious conditions of the western country and the places most in need of religious in- struction, and to formulate some plan for the preaching of the gospel in the destitute places. These two men seem to have intended to visit St. Louis, and perhaps other parts

of the territory, but, for some reason, they abandoned their visit and contented them- selves with writing a letter of inquiry to Stephen Hempstead, of St. Louis. In the letter they asked concerning the condition of religion in Upper Louisiana, the number of clergymen and the places where they were settled, whether there was much infidelity ex- isting, whether the Sabbath was observed, and whether it was thought best to attempt to found a Bible society. They offered to send two or three hundred Bibles and some tracts for distribution among the poor, provided it was thought best to do so. Mr. Hempstead replied to these inquiries, and gave a picture of the religious conditions existing in the ter- ritory. Ile says that "the Catholic church has services; that there are some Methodists in the territory; that some of the Presby- terians, in the absence of their own preachers, have joined the Methodists, and that the Bap- tists have ten churches and two hundred and seventy-six members." And finally says that he "knows of no place in the United States that needs a Presbyterian missionary more than Missouri." He further requests that the Bibles and tracts be sent, which was done.

The first church in Southeast Missouri of the Presbyterian faith was organized in the Bellevue. settlement in Washington county August 2, 1816. The Presbytery of Missouri was formed by the Synod of Tennessee and held its first meeting in St. Louis, December 18, 1817. Its territory was all of the United States west of the Cumberland river. The Presbytery of Missouri had, as its ministers, Solomon Giddings, Timothy Flint, Thomas Donnell and John Matthews. The only churches represented were those at Bellevue. Bonhomme, in St. Louis county, and St. Louis. In 1819 he number of ministers was increased by the addition of Rev. C. S. Robinson and

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the Rev. David Tenney. Mr. Tenney died in the same year. The Rev. Edward Hollister was connected with the Presbytery for a short time in 1821. The Rev. Timothy Flint was one of the most active of the Presbyterian ministers in Southeast Missouri in the early times. lIe seems to have organized a Bible society in Jackson about 1820 and also a Sunday school at the same place. This so- ciety was called the Columbian Bible Society. Its officers were Jason Chamberlain, president ; Christopher G. Honts, treasurer; and A. Hayne, secretary. Rev. Timothy Flint seems to have traveled all through Upper Louisiana. He preached at Jackson, New Madrid, St. Charles and in Arkansas. He was a very vig- orons, energetic and earnest man, had been thoroughly educated at Harvard college, and wrote a number of books bearing on Missouri history. He spent the winter of 1819 at New Madrid. He was a man who had considerable influence but, also, considerable trouble, as he was not always able to adapt himself to the conditions under which he found himself placed.

Among the publications written by Flint were the "Life of Daniel Boone," a "History and Geography of the Mississippi Valley," and "Recollections of the Last Ten Years in the Mississippi Valley."

In 1818 a presbytery was held at Potosi and a young man, who had been a ministerial student was ordained by Rev. Timothy Flint and Rev. Matthews. They rode from St. Louis to Potosi on horseback to perform this service.

That one of the Christian denominations known as Disciples, or simply Christians, seems to have begun its labors in Southeast Missouri in 1819. The teachings of this de- nomination had spread from Kentucky and

Pennsylvania to the west, and in the year mentioned the Rev. William McMurtry came from Virginia and located in Madison county. He was a carpenter by trade, but preached also. He began to teach the doctrines of the church as soon as he was located within the state, and in 1822 organized a church in what is now the town of Libertyville. There were only three members of the church at that time, and they held their meetings in the log school house. The increase was slow at first, for in 1826 there were only nine members of the church.

We have thus recounted something of the beginning of effort by the Christian denom- inations in the early years in Missouri. We find that the only formal organization before 1804 was the organization of the Catholic church ; that its teachings had spread in prac- tically every community in Upper Louisiana; that its work had been organized and at least two houses of worship constructed. There were members of other denominations in Up- per Louisiana before the transfer; that they held their regular services in private fam- ilies, but were not allowed to build meeting houses or to perfect any kind of organiza- tions. Upon the transfer to the United States, the Baptists and Methodists, and a little later the Presbyterians and Christians, or Disciples, began to prosecute the work of evangelism in a systematic way. There seem to have been two distinct methods of carrying on the work. The first Baptist church within tlie state was organized through the efforts of a visiting minister, and this church became the center for the sending out of the gospel to other parts and for the organization of cther churches. In the same way the organi- zation of the Disciples was begun. The first work performed by the Presbyterians within

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the state, as we have seen, was the result of the sending of missionaries from the East. A similar movement assisted and encouraged the work of the Baptists, when Peck and his companion, Welch, were sent into the terri- tory. The work of the Methodists began in an organized form by the erection of part of the territory into a circuit, and the ap- pointment of a minister to supply the needs in the vast territory included within his cir- cuit.

By the time of the transfer to the United States these denominations were flourishing, their work was progressing and they were building houses of worship, establishing Sun- day schools and schools in many parts of the territory. It is plain to be seen that they labored under very great difficulties. The ter- ritory over which the ministers were called to travel was very extensive, the means of trans- portation very poor, the roads were simply paths and there were but few accommodations provided, in most places, for visitors. Many of the ministers were accustomed to travel on foot for distances that seem almost impossible. It is said of Clark, who was an early min- ister of the Baptist church, that he would never ride to his appointments. Some of his friends presented him with a horse, but he was dissatisfied with it and returned it, pre- ferring to walk from one place to another. Some of the Methodist circuit riders traveled over immense distances to reach their various appointments. Those who lived east of the river, not infrequently walked for miles to reach a place where the river might be crossed and, having crossed, walked a long distance on this side to the place where they were to preach.

. Another thing which very greatly retarded and made more difficult the work of the early Vol. I-14

ministers, was a feeling among the people that these ministers should labor without pay. Not all of them were of this belief, but it was sufficiently prevalent to render the sup- port of the ministers very meagre and very uncertain. Perhaps all of the preachers in the early time were compelled to recoup their salary by work of one kind or another, that they might support their families. We have seen that Elder McMurtry, an early minister of the Christian church, was a carpenter, and we find that Peck supported himself, in part, by teaching, as did Flint and many others.

Another thing which made their work diffi- cult and their lives hard was the condition of many people among whom they must labor. Many of them were illiterate and could not appreciate the efforts which were being made for them. Some of these people lived under the most severe conditions of life, and some of them had no hope or ambition for better things. It was a work of the very greatest difficulty to arouse the people to action and to get them to accept the things which the min- isters brought to them. Peck and Flint both relate amusing but unpleasant experiences concerning their visits in different parts of this section. They frequently were received into homes, if a single roomed log cabin may be so described, in which only the barest necessities were to be found.

These hardships are set out fully in the ac- count which Peck gives in describing one of his trips from St. Louis, on horse back, to Bethel association in Cape Girardeau county. Ile made this trip in September, 1818, and the experience through which he passed in- duced him to moralize a little on the hard- ships which attended the life of the traveler. HIe says: "The route was the same one I last traveled until I got below Herculaneum, and then gradually bearing to the left and down

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the direction of the Mississippi, through an extensive tract of barrens very thinly set- tled. It was in passing through these barrens that Joseph Piggott, a Methodist circuit preacher, in the year 1820, came near freez- ing to death, on an extremely cold night, and without food for himself or his horse. He gave the writer a narrative of his sufferings that night, four years after, at his residence on the Macoupin, Illinois, and yet we were so hard hearted as not to express a word of sym- pathy. A few stunted and gnarled trees, and a sprinkling of brushwood, with now and then a decayed log, appeared above the snow. He was nearly chilled, after wandering about a long time in search of a path, and with great difficulty with his tinder-box, flint. and steel, could he get a fire. He then scraped away what snow lie could, and with his blanket lay down, broadside to the fire; but before he secured much warmth the other side was nearly frozen. Then he would turn over, but finding no relief would get up and stamp his feet, while the wind seemed to pass through him. When daylight appeared he was too cold to mount his horse, but led him while he attempted to find his way on to some lonely cabin, which proved to be not many miles distant. There he spent the day and enjoyed the hospitality of the squatter fam- ily. We listened to the distressing tale with amazement! This man was born and raised in Illinois and accustomed all his life to the frontiers, and yet had never learned one of the indispensable lessons of a back- woodsman-how to camp out, make a fire and keep warm. Eating was not so very impor- tant, for any man in the vigor of life in those days in this frontier country who could not go without food for twenty-four hours, and more especially a preacher of the Gospel,

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History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I, Part 32

Author: Douglass, Robert Sidney. 4n Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: Douglass, Robert Sidney. 4n
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844