USA > Missouri > Pettis County > The History of Pettis County, Missouri, including an authentic history of Sedalia, other towns and townships, together with biographical sketches > Part 34
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About the year 1855 a movement began to be made to locate a number of families from Kentucky, the larger portion of them in the north part of Pettis connty. They began arriving here, some of them in that year,
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HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY.
and continued coming for about three years, or until 1858. These fami- lies will be at once recognized as among the best in the country. The names of those only containing some Presbyterian members are given, though quite a number of other families having in them no Presbyterians, constituted a part of these new settlers. From Louisville, Jefferson county, came William Field, Esq., John Moore, M. D., his son-in-law, Mr. Rochester, and Mr. George Lower. From Danville, Boyle county, came Col. James S. Hopkins, Mr. John R. Ford, Mr. Benjamin Bridges, Capt. John Sneeds, Hon. John F. Phillips, and Hon. George Vest. From Gar- rard county, came Mr. Lucretius Baker, and Mr. Quinsey Yantis. From Springfield, Washington county, came James S. Hughes, M. D., and Thomas Q. Montgomery, M. D., and from Harrodsburg came N. D. Woods, Esq. On the third Sabbath in June, 1856, and by order of the Presbytery of Missouri, Rev. H. M. Painter, then supplying the church in Boonville, organized "The First Church of Pettis." The church con- sisted of sixteen members; four of these came from the organization at Georgetown, the twelve others were Mr. John Motz and wife and ten from the families above named. This organization took place at Priest's Chapel, a Methodist Church on Heath's creek in Pettis county. The church obtained permission to hold service in this chapel for two Sundays in the month till they could have time to build a house of worship for themselves. On the first and second pages of the records of "The First Church of Pettis," I find this minute: "In October, 1856, the session opened a correspondence with Rev. John Montgomery, then pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Harrodsburg, Mercer county, Ky., which event- uated in his becoming stated supply "to this church," and "he entered on his labors the fourth Sabbath in October, 1857." As all my time was engaged for this church, and as yet they had no house of their own, "it was arranged that Bro. Montgomery preach for the present in the Metho- dist Church on the first and fourth Sabbaths in each month, and that he spend the remainder of his time as he can best arrange for the good of the cause of religion till we can get a house of worship erected." This arrangement enabled me to do a good deal of evangelistic work through- out the county. Meantime the work of building a house was vigorously prosecuted. In eighteen months the house was so far finished as to be occupied with comfort. Henceforth the congregation held services in their own house. Thus, in less than two years, they had erected and paid for a substantial brick church some 60x40 feet and costing from $4,000 to $5,000. One Sunday in the month was set apart for preaching to those members living in Georgetown and vicinity, though for the most part all the people with great regularity attended services at both points; although they were some ten miles apart and the congregations were uniformly large. From this period till the civil war the growth of this
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HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY.
church will be indicated with sufficient clearness by the reports to the Presbytery from time to time. In the spring of 1859 this church, organ- ized in 1856 with sixteen members, reported to Lafayette Presbytery 64 members, and they had that year contributed to missions $40, to educa- tion $25, to church extension $25, to presbyterial fund $5, and to congre- gational fund $665. In April, 1860, the church is reported as numbering seventy-seven members and as contributing $1,133 for congregational purposes. The report for 1861 shows a membership of eighty-seven and $4,020 for congregational purposes.
This brings the account of this church up to the commencement of the war, after which there was no further report to Presbytery nor any further meeting of Presbytery to report to. For the next two years we find only a half dozen meetings of session recorded, when the following note occurs in the session book in my own hand-writing: "After this (April 1863), the church members being much scattered by the war, and it being out of the power of the pastor to get a meeting of session (there being within distance to hold intercourse no elders), there was no further meeting of session during the war." In 1864, March 19th, six persons were received with a session of the pastor and one elder, and in 1865 one member was received into the church, and the record stands thus: "September 22d, 1865, Mattie Thornton was received into the church and baptized, no member of the session present but the pastor; nor was there at this time a single elder in the church." During that dark period very little was accomplished in church matters. Men seemed almost to have forgotten that they had souls. The land was full of soldiers, and the conduct of many under cover of military operations, created a reign of terror and kept the whole community in a state of confusion and alarm, so that few attended public worship; in fact, the churches were for the most part deserted, and a great many of them, especially in the country, were closed and the ministers were scattered here and there as they could find safety and employment. The First church of Pettis, though still maintaining the preaching of the word, has never recovered from the effects of the war. To add to the depressing circumstances that surrounded the eongregation their church building became a mass of ruins during the summer of 1877, and the debris was sold for what it would bring, that they might have at least some means to help them, when able, to build another house. From that time, however, they have had no church building, and have had to worship where they can get permission to do so. It was during these dark days of war that Rev. Joshua Barbee removed from Kentucky and settled in this county. Mr. Barbee preached statedly, at points west of Sedalia, and in Sedalia as occasions presented themselves. Before the arrival of Brother Barbee I had begun to preach occasionally in Sedalia, and as I still believe, (though I understand it has been denied), preached the first
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HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
sermon ever delivered in that city. However this may be, it certainly was the first Presbyterian discourse ever spoken to the people of that town, and I walked from Georgetown, with Captain Cumings, now of Kansas City, to preach it, having preached at 11 A. M. at that place. From this time onward Brother Barbee and I preached at Sedalia from time to time as we could find opportunity, till 1864, when I went to Fulton for twelve months. On my return I found that Brother Barbee had not only continued to preach in Sedalia, but had also secured a house of worship, which he had purchased in Syracuse and having removed to Sedalia, I found him enlarging and otherwise refitting it. This was the first church building ever erected in Sedalia, and is the house on Lamine and Second, now occupied by the Old School Presbyterian congregation.
I wrote to Mr. Barbee to furnish me with the facts touching his minis- terial labors, and especially as to all the facts connected with the erection of the old church building, when he purchased it, who aided him in the purchase, etc., etc. In answer a letter was received, which is so charac- teristic, so full, so clear, and withal, so excellent that I must give it to my readers just as Brother Barbee wrote it, and I take this liberty without so much as asking his consent:
MARCH 25th, 1882.
Dear Brother: Your postal was received a day or two ago, and I take pleasure in complying with your request. To your first inquiry, I came to Pettis county on the 7th of September, 1862, and remained there for three years.
2d. The points to which I preached were Dresden, Smithton, Sedalia, Georgetown and Hansbrough's school house. One Sunday in each month during the entire time was given to Dresden. I preached at Smithton two and one-half years; at Hansbrough's school house two years; at Georgetown, or near there, two years; at Sedalia 1S months.
3d. While preaching at Sedalia I purchased the house in which our people now worship, from a C. P. Prestyterian elder, who lived near Syracuse, for the sum of $300. The circumstances were these: A man in Sedalia claimed to own the house and proposed to sell it to us for $400. He went with us to Syracuse to see the house. After I had seen the house and concluded to take it, I called to see and learned from him that the house belonged to a gentleman in the country. I determined to see him and walked two miles and a-half, and found then he was two miles and a half from home chopping wood. I learned also this man who claimed the house, from Sedalia, had just been there to buy it, and had gone to the timber to hunt the owner. I started again for the real owner and found him before the pretended owner in Sedalia bought the house. On our return to the house we found the man from Sedalia, who had lost his way, and looking quite mean, with but very little to say. I had the privilege of preaching him a private sermon on honesty and christian fairness on our trip back to Sedalia that evening. The house when we bought it was 36x45 in size. After moving it to Sedalia we made it fif- teen feet longer. The principal parties who aided in the purchase and
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building were John Sneed, John Brown, now of Fulton, Brother Myres and some other gentlemen whose names I have forgotten. and myself gave $100 each. I think perhaps Mr. Kyle gave $100. A number of others gave small sums and all the above gave more afterwards.
The Board of Church extension gave us $300. All this was done in 1864-5.
4th. During my ministry in Smithton we built a Union Church, of which one-fourth was deeded to our denomination. We never had an organization there though we had enough members for an organization. Presbytery never met during my stay in Pettis county, and I was not an ordained minister and of course had no right to receive members into the church. There were those who wished at times to unite with our church, some of whom united with the First Church, Pettis, though being fifteen miles from it, and were received by yourself.
I remember no other facts of much importance. Will be glad to answer any other questions.
Yours fraternally, JOSHUA BARBEE.
Some other inquiries might have been addressed to Brother Barbee, but the time allowed for the writing of this paper was about gone. It may be added here that Brother Barbee removed from Pettis to Saline county, is at present pastor of the churches of Mount Olive and Pisgah, and is doing a good work in a very important and large field of labor.
In 1865, I organized the First Presbyterian Church of Sedalia, and ยท preached for it till I was laid aside for nearly two years, from preaching, by a severe injury. In 1870, I organized the Old School Presbyterian Church of Sedalia, and preached for it two years, the greater part of the time riding, as I had before done, to preach to the First Church, from my home fifteen miles north of Sedalia, to do this work. As these churches will give their own individual history, I need pursue this branch of the general subject no farther. Soon after coming to Missouri I began preaching in Longwood, when I could do so. The circumstances under which my first sermon there was preached, I shall never forget. Imagine a rude saw mill with a collection of forty or fifty saw logs, on and over which were crowded a pretty large collection of men, women and chil- dren, and before them all, under the broad canopy of heaven, a rather small, and quite insignificant preacher, doing all he can to fix the attention of the assembled crowd, and impress on their minds the solemn reality and momentous importance of the great truths of God's word, and you will.have some faint notion of that first Sunday at Longwood. Feeble and far between as these occasional services were, thank God they were not wholly in vain; for on Saturday, September 25th, 1869, a "committee consisting of John Montgomery and Joshua Barbee" met the people at Longwood and organized a church there of nineteen members. To this church I preached, as I was able, until 1876, when it had increased to sixty-seven members, and all these except six had been received on pro-
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HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY.
fession of their faith in Christ, and out of them only one had been sus- pended for unchristian conduct. This church has been supplied since that time by Rev. J. V. Worshem and Rev. W. G. F. Wallace, and is at present supplied, as is also the First Church of Pettis, and the church at Lamonte, by Rev. B. T. Lacy, D. D. About the year 1867, I organ- ized the church at Lamonte, supplied at present by Rev. B. T. Lacy, as stated above, and to whom I must refer you for the history of that church, as also for the present condition and prospects of the other portions of his field in Pettis county.
JOHN MONTGOMERY.
THE M. E. CHURCH (SOUTH) .- As the history of other churches will be given, it is considered unnecessary to say anything about the labors, privations, self-denial, religious zeal, and heaven attesting consecration to duties of the christian religion and the promulgation of gospel truth. The name Methodist is synonymous with all that is noble in christianity, all that is attainable in christian life, all that is pure and refining in the character of man, all that appropriates the promises of God, and by faith enjoys the realities of a living faith, a cheering, and compre- hensive love, that "hopeth all things, that endureth all things, that is long-suffering and kind." Hence, wherever you find a genuine Methodist, you find an humble follower of the meek and lowly Savior. Their abiding faith in the promises of God is the incentive to action, . and hence the arduous labors, the heroic self-denial, and the almost unparalleled success of the pioneer Methodist of America. In vindica- tion of the above eulogistic remarks, we propose to give a brief history of the M. E. Church South in Pettis county. As is well known this history begins with the action of the General Conference of 1844, and as abler pens have been consecrated to this work, nothing of the kind will be at- tempted here.
The history of the M. E. Church South then properly begins with this date.
1844 .- The first quarterly conference of the Georgetown circuit, the Boonville district, was held at the residence of the late Rev. W. B. Left- wick, on the 26th day of December, 1844, the Rev. Jesse Green, presid- ing elder, James L. Porter, pastor. The following official members com . posed this first official meeting, and completed the organization of the Georgetown circuit, viz: James L. Porter, pastor; W. B. Leftwich, L. E .; B. C. Howard, L. P .; Samuel M. Ayres, L. P .; Francis Martin, ex- horter; Henry Rains, class leader; John Rucker, C. L .; Thomas Kemp, C. L .; Jesse Green, president, and L. M. Ayres, secretary.
To illustrate the abundant labors of the pioneer Methodist ministers, we give the following list of appointments for monthly preaching on the Georgetown circuit, viz: Priest's Chapel, (the first church house
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HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY.
erected by the M. E. Church in the present limits of Pettis,) of Smiley's school house, 3rd Joplin's, 4th Leftwich's, 5th Edward's, 6th Wells; 7th Covey's, Sth Warrensburg, 9th Rucker's, 10th Craghead's. The mem- bership at this time numbered about 200. The church paid this year for ministerial support, $130; for Sabbath schools, $8.00; for missions, $8.00.
1845 .- Jesse Green continues P. E., and J. L. Porter, pastor, or preacher in charge of the circuit. During this year a financial plan was matured and adopted by the Missouri conference, and consequently the finances of the church improved during this year.
1846 .- The record for 1846 has by some unknown cause been omitted. 1847 .- J. R. Bennett, P. E., Rev. Jesse Green, having passed from labor to rest, leaving a brilliant record as a minister, and a christian.
The names of R. F. Lee and J. N. Pollard appear on the record of this year as local preachers.
A building committee was appointed to superintend the erection of a church house for the use and benefit of the M. E. Church South. W. H. Anderson, Thomas Pace and Z. T. Davis were appointed said com- mittee. .
The name of R. F. Colburn appears in the latter part of this year as pastor.
During this year the Rev. W. B. Leftwich presented to the church a house of worship built upon his own ground and at his own expense, known as Northfield, for which the church expressed due gratitude. Two Sabbath schools are reported in successful operation. One at Smiley's school house, the other at Priest's Chapel.
1848 .- J. R. Bennet, P. E., W. T. Cardwell, pastor. During this year the church house known as Priest's Chapel became so dilapidated by age, that it was pronounced untenable, and a committee appointed to superin- tend the erection of a new house. They were: Wm. Turley, Wm. Kemp, G. S. Priest. The pastor, W. T. Cardwell, like the star of empire, went westward and located in Oregon. The church paid this year for min- isterial support $350.
1849 .- D. S. Capell, P. E., J. C. Derrick, pastor. Soon after entering upon his work, Brother Derrick, being attracted or influenced by the rumors of gold in California, left the work and went in search of gold, and his subsequent history is unknown to us.
John Atherton succeeded to the pastorate. The church having been blessed of the Lord, and enjoying a season of prosperity, the number of monthly appointments for monthly preaching was now increased to six- teen.
1850 .- J. A. Henning, P. E., and John McCluncy, P. C. The names of W. B. Leftwich, J. N. Pollard, B. I. Porter, G. S. Priest, J. M. Gray,
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HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY.
S. G. Pettis, H. Y. Elbert, appear as official members at the first quarterly conference. These were all pillars in the church.
1851 .- James Mitchell, P. E., J. C. Thompson, P. C. During the year of gold excitement, the church was financially poor, but seems to have been rich toward God, and to have sustained with christian heroism all the institutions of the church. Bro. J. C. Thompson was feeble in health, remained on the circuit a few months, unable for service, when he retired, and his place was filled by the Rev. T. J. Mclaughlin. A new church edifice was this year erected, and known as Priest's Chapel. To the labor and financial aid of Bro. Priest the church was indebted for the erection of this house, who will long be held in grateful esteem by his brethren for his devotion to his God and the church.
1852 .- J. Mitchell, P. E., J. N. W. Springer, preacher in charge. This was a year of much prosperity to the church, and the followers of the Lord Jesus were much encouraged.
The church contributed $400 to ministerial support. During this year W. M. Leftwich was licensed to preach the gospel; was subsequently admitted to the itinerancy, and is now the celebrated Dr. Leftwich of Nashville, Tennessee, and a member of the general conference now, May 15, 1882, in session. From this time forward the church continued in great prosperity until the civil war interrupted its relations, and for a time seriously hindered its progress.
In the ferment of political excitement they never, in a single instance, stooped from the lofty theme of salvation to defile the glorious her- alds of the Cross of Christ by the introduction of those politico-religious harangues which characterized so many of the pulpits of the land; but Christ and Him crucified was the theme of the ministers of the M. E. Church South, and future historians will bear testimony to the zeal and faithfulness of the ministers who never stooped from the sacred dignity of their calling to gratify the prejudices of party or personal interest.
In 1858 a spacious church edifice was erected in what was and is known as the Porter neighborhood. The edifice was of brick, sixty by forty feet. The cost of the construction, $5,000. Those who contributed largely to this enterprize, were B. I. Porter, B. C. Porter, Rev. J. N. Pollard, Rev. E. K. Porter, Henry Hunter, and W. H. Powell, who was not a member of the church, but to whose liberality the church owes many obligations. This edifice recently became so dilapidated as to necessitate a new house, and through the zeal and enterprise of the Rev. John Conk- wright, one of the faithful veterans of the church, the old house was pulled down, and a smaller, but neat and substantial building was recently erected in its stead.
In 1862 the relations of the church were seriously interrupted by the civil war. Our people were denominated rebels, and suffered many indig-
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nites from those who esteemed themselves as political enemies. During this critical period the ministers continued faithful to their calling, and still continued to break the bread of life to their flocks as opportunity afforded. Finally they were prohibited by the Drake constitution from preaching the Gospel of the Son of God without first subscribing to what was denominated the iron-clad oath of the Drake constitution. This they could not do, but continued to proclaim the word of life and salvation without the formality of a text. Of those who thus continued faithful the Revs. John Conkwright and Josiah McCary were prosecuted as viola- tors of the law, but the decision of the court, declaring this constitutional clause in conflict with the organic law of the nation, put a quietus to these persecutions, and great was the joy of the church.
Among those who preached the gospel here during these troublous times may be mentioned the names of Josiah Godbey, who is indeed a pil- lar in the church; John Conkwright, E. K. Porter, S. S. Colburn, W. C. Godbey, etc.
After the close of the war the church was reorganized, and renewed their vows of consecration to the God who had so mercifully chastised and preserved them, and entered as it were anew upon the duties of the christian life, fully convinced of the futility of all temporal things, and fully persuaded that "all things work together for good to them that love God."
The first minister sent to this circuit by ecclesiastical authority after the war was the Rev. John D. Wood, a young man who was converted in the great revival that accomplished such glorious results among the sol- diers of the Confederate army. At this time Sedalia, having grown up by the force of circumstances, and also having become the most impor- tant point in this part of the state, the name of the circuit was changed to that of Sedalia, and to the list of those before enumerated, that faith- fully upheld the banner of the cross here, may be added the name of W. R. Anderson, a faithful christian minister, the father of the faithful, who long since entered into rest, "but who, though dead, still speaketh." "Blessed are the dead who who die in the Lord." From this nucleus, so little auspicious at its resurrection, the church has been gloriously blessed of the Lord, and to-day it is a host on the Lord's side in Pettis county. Instead of the one church edifice in the limits of Pettis county, they now have church houses dedicated to the worship of the God whom they love as follows, viz: Salem, Wharton's Chapel, an interest at Longwood, house at Hughesville, at Houstonia, at Blackwater Chapel, at Lamonte, at Eldorado; also, at New Bethel, on upper Flat Creek, an interest in Union house in Smithton, a house in course of construction on Flat Creek, in the Pin Oak neighborhood, and a magnificent edifice in the city of Sedalia, be- sides several local societies, which worship by courtesy in school houses, and in the houses of other denominations, such as Dresden, Hopewell,
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etc. Thus it is seen that the Lord has owned and blessed the labors of the Southern Methodist Church, and that through their influence, strengthened by divine grace, the church still bears aloft the banner of the cross, and the mighty host that thus marches on in the pilgrimage of life, under the blood-stained banner of King Emmanuel, still labor in hope of the resur- rection of the just.
This brief epitome is not at all too dignified as a history of the church in Pettis county, but a reminiscence given to the publishers by request, that the world may know that the Lord has such a people here, and that they, like Moses of old, still labor in the vineyard of the Master, having respect to the recompense of the reward.
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH,
or Church of Christ, belongs to a religious body which came into exis- tence about the first of the present century. It had its origin in a desire to unite all religious persons of the various denominations into one body or organization, having the Bible as its only guide in religious matters; wearing only such names as those by which the New Testament desig- nates the church of Christ; submitting as tests to baptism and church fellowship simply a public declaration of faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. The leaders of this movement, to restore simple apostolic faith and practice, believed that division among the disciples of Christ was wrong, and that human names and creeds, and confessions of faith and rules of discipline, tended to promote divisions and to destroy the peace and prosperity of the cause. They also believed the union of all disciples of Christ upon the word of God was practicable. Their work was twofold: while striving to unite all of God's people, they sought to restore the Bible to its proper place, and to be guided in all things by it alone .. Nor has the effort been unsuccessful; the body now numbers more than half a million. Two of the greatest men of the present century have been notably identified with it, namely: Alexander Campbell and James A. Garfield. Its present membership has been received largely from the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other denominations.
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