CHURCHES
The pioneers of Morgan county were a moral and God-fearing
people -- not noted for wild
fanaticisms nor their with-burning procivitles. They were patient,
plodding and conservative, and were
always more or less inclined to keep their religion and politics separate.
But the old patriarchs looked after
the religious welfare of their households and therefore, as soon as
enough had gathered in a settlement they
would have “meeting” whenever a local or a chance passing preacher
could be called into requisition. For
many years they would meet at some of the neighbor’s houses, organize
and do what they could to keep
brightly burning the fires of faith within them. Indeed in several
places in the county, yet, there are not
enough to form separate denominational societies, and so meet in “union”
gatherings, and often have built
union churches. That is, the different denominations joined and
worked together, but held their separate
meetings, and had, when they could get them, their own preachers.
Morgan county has about thirty-five churches, most of which are
Baptists. There are four saloons
in the county, two at Versailles and two at Stover. the coming
of the Rock Island railroad three years ago
built up Stover and it prayed the county court with petitions complying
with the law for salons and the court
had nothing to do under the law but to grant the saloons license to
do business
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES (NORTH AND SOUTH) -- For man
years it was simply
the Methodist Episcopal church, but, here, as elsewhere in the Southern
states, when the split in the church
occurred the church in the division became the Methodist Episcopal
church and the Methodist Episcopal
church, South.
The first church in Versailles was Methodist and was organized
in 1836. Services were held for
some years in the court room. The first pastor of this organization
was Rev. Abram Millice, who was
Morgan county’s first circuit rider. In course of time the congregation
was served -- holding at first not
more than monthly regular meetings -- by Revs. Armitage, Dunlevy, Thomas
Wallace and Daniel Leeper.
In 1842 the congregation built its first church building on the
site where the new brick structure
now in course of erection stands. That building was a large frame
and was the building used till 1877 when
it was remodeled and enlarged and then used till the new brick now
being erected is completed. The old
structure was turned round out of the way for the foundation of this
new building and it is yet used for
church service. The new building will be completed by fall of
this year, 1907. Rev.. S.W. Emory is the
present pastor. The new brick building is to cost $10,000.
Among the leading members of this church at
this time are: James McNair, Syd Thruston and wife, W.S. Gibbs, J.F.
Gibbs and wife, W.L. Stephens and
wife, John Salmon and wife, Orin Hamlin and wife, C.H. Polston and
wife, G.W. Petty and wife, Prof. J.A.
Livesay and brother, R.M. Livesay, lawyer, Dr. Henry Buick, wife and
daughter, Miss Mellie, W.N. Gilson
and wife. The church is in a prosperous and growing condition
in membership working order and
financially. Services are held every Sunday together with prayer
meetings and Ep[worth League services.
Rev. J.B. Woleridge was pastor of the church in its early history
for many years and held this position
perhaps longer than any other preacher.
There are more Baptist churches in Morgan county than of other
denominations. There are at
present twenty Baptist organizations. These with their present
pastors are as follows:
Akinsville, ----- T.R.
White Florence, --D.W. Williams
Barnett, -----------E.T.
Shelton Hopewell ----------G.M.McClelland
Bethel, ------------ J.L. Moon
Liberty, ---------- Isaac Riggs
Beulah, ------------ Isiah Barber
Mt. Carmel, -------C.H. Cramer
Bethlehem -------- E.T. Shelton
Mt. Olive, -------- E.T. Shelton
Bethany ----------- T.H. Baughman
Oak Grove ------- C.N. White
Freedom ----------- L.R. Kenney
Olive Branch ---- G.M. McClelland
Florence ---------- D.W. Williams
Syracuse --------- F.W. Wisdom
Peasant Grove --- G.M. McClelland
Salem -------------- (no pastor)
Ritchie -------------I. Barber
Versailles ----------C.N. White
West Union ----------T.H. Baughman
these churches are all in good working order except Salem
which has no pastor and has done very
little work during the last few years. This church is located
six miles west of Versailles and the congregation
has a good building. Mt. Carmel is one of the very oldest churches
in the county and some of the best
known Baptist preachers have been pastors of that congregation.
This church is twelve miles north of
Versailles and the congregation built a new house of worship in 197.
Among the pastors who have preached there we call to mind Rev.
Frank Dinwiddie who died in
years ago. The old churchyard at this place contains the ashes
of many saints. Nowhere else in the county
do the birds sing more sweetly over the graves than right at Mt. Carmel.
Fathers and mothers long resting
there are followed by several generations of children. There
is a solemn feeling beshrouds the place and the
lonely visitor is impressed with the feeling that he is on holy grounds
and treads over hallowed graves.
Let not the thoughtless think that the early day Baptist preacher
was without his virtues and
religious fervor. those old preachers of the cause blazed a way
for a brighter and better day in religious
worship. They preached without means and without pay. They
left their homes and their crops to see that
the “Master’s” banner was held up over a people too poor in money and
numbers to hold it up themselves.
Churches were planted all over the county by these fathers and are
now being watered by their sons and
daughters. The graves of these old heroes are dept green as is
their memories and works by a grateful
people who appreciate the great difficulties under which the fathers
wrought.
A feeling of awe comes over one as he sits and listens to the
tales told of pioneer preaching when
this was a wilderness. Homes were far apart and churches wide
apart. No regular preachers in the country
and only the sermons of missionary travelers were heard. Men
and women would walk miles to hear a
preacher and this preaching was frequently done at the homes of the
people and in the arbors. Certainly the
advantage of the young people of today are much better than was enjoyed
fifty and
sixty years ago. Are we not likely to overlook the many blessings
and opportunities we enjoy and fail to
give thanks to the great Giver of all good gifts.
What has been said concerning the early work of the Baptists
can also be said of the Methodists
who were early on the ground and did a good and lasting work.
There are two Methodist churches (North) in the county among
Germans of Haw Creek and
Richland townships, and the colored M.E. Church of Versailles.
These German organizations were formed
in the fifties and they are strong organizations with large and pious
memberships. The colored church
organization in Versailles built its first church building in the year
of 1870 and has a large membership. Rev.
Johnson is the present pastor. There is a colored Baptist church
in Versailles. This organization dates its
formation back to civil war times. It has a good building, a
large membership and is doing good work. Its
present pastor is G.W. Watts.
Places of worship of the Methodist church in the early pioneer
times in Morgan county were
established in about the following order and places. There was
an organization and services at Hopewell,
ten miles east of Versailles. Sixty years ago the Methodists
held big camp meetings in that neighborhood
and Methodists from all over the country would gather there for a week’s
big revival in the arbor. An old
time camp meeting grounds near a spring is found a little northeast
of where Klebe Hunter now lives. There
was a Methodist organization eight miles west of Versailles in the
Abney neighborhood; a church was built
on the Gravois; another was built at Self’s Chapel, eight miles west
of Versailles on the Florence and
Versailles road. The building is there yet but is seldom used.
There is a Methodist church at Glensted, six miles north of Versailles.
The congregation has a
good building erected in 1881. It has a resident pastor.
The present pastor is Rev. Slipher. Rev. Slipher
also preaches at Rock Springs, on the Moreau, and at Proctor.
The Proctor Methodist church is a thrifty one and large crowds
attend the meetings there. Many
old time families live in that section of the country and they bring
the boy up in the way that he should go.
The Hinken Methodist Episcopal church was organized as early
as 1850. It is situated ten miles
northwest of Versailles and the
congregation has a large frame building. It is a German church
and many of the good fathers and mothers,
as well as the sons and daughters hold their membership there.
The church keeps good preachers and
services are largely attended. This same denomination has a church
organization at Ebenezer, three miles
southeast of Florence and usually the same preacher that preaches at
Hinken preaches at Ebenezer.
Mt. Nebo Methodist Episcopal church, South, was built for the
congregation of that name and
services have been held there since 1882. The house is on a pretty
site and is attended by large crowds but
services are not regularly held there. Joshua Self founded the
organization at Self’s Chapel and was the
leading light there for many years. That church was founded in
1855. St. Paul or Pleasant Grove is another
Methodist Episcopal, South, organization.
The Freedom Baptist church was organized in 1857. This
is a large congregation of pious people.
It is a large congregation of pious people. It is one of the
best church buildings in the county. Among the
pastors in charge have been Jehu Robinson, J.E. Sims. L.J. Baughman,
John Robinson, Richards, Rev. L.R.
Kenney is the present pastor.
The Versailles Baptist church is called the First Baptist Church
of Versailles. The congregation
was organized in 1868 with thirteen members. The first pastor
was Rev. J.B. Box, followed by Revs. R.H.
Harris, James Price, S.M. Victor, J.T. Letts, L.M. Berry. Among
the preachers of the last few years who
have been pastors of this church were Revs. D.C. Peters, who withdrew
and joined the Christian
congregation in about 1899. He was followed by Rev. Edward James,
of Holden. Then Rev. C.N. White,
the present pastor was selected. The present building was erected in
1876. The membership is now about
The church also supports a good Sunday school with Judge Samuel Daniels
superintendent. The Judge has
been superintendent about eleven years. A Young People’s meeting,
called the B.Y.P.U. is maintained. The
church is in good working order and is prosperous.
The Christian church in Versailles was organized in 1886 by evangelist
G.A. Hoffman, with ten
members: John Witten and wife, S.K. Woods, Mary L. Woods, Tabitha French,
Susan Anthony, Bettie
Robinson, Isaac Dodson and Mary Dodson. The elders were Witten
and Dodson, first pastor O.A. Feltner.
the
church has improved its membership very largely and has had some
able pastors. It has built a very fine
brick meeting house since its organization. The membership is
now about 100. Preaching is held once a
month. the present pastor is Rev. J.C. Creel. An interesting
Sunday school is maintained and the church is
in good working order. The elders at the resent are Dr. P.G.
Woods and Banker A.L. Ross.
There is a church at Barnett, Hopewell and Little Buffalo.
The congregations worship in union
houses. The Hopewell organization is one of the oldest church
organizations in the county. That church for
the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterian and Christians (or Disciples).
Not far from the old Hopewell church
is the relics of an old camp meeting scene where men and women worshipped
fifty years ago. There is an air
about the Hopewell church grounds and cemetery that im presses one with
the feeling that piety reigns
thereabouts and has for many years. There is a sanctity and piety
that has a good influence.
There is a Presbyterian church congregation in Versailles with
a fairly good membership and a good
building. For several years up to 1907 the church held regular
services and did good work with able pastors.
At present (June 1907) the church has no pastor and does not hold regular
meetings.
There is a Presbyterian congregation in Little Morgan at the
Union church. Judge J.P. Daugherty is
one of that church.
There is a Mennonite congregation eight miles northeast of Versailles,
at Mt. Zion. This church
branched off from the East Bethel in the early seventies and in 1874
organized the Mt. Zion body. They held
services a few years at old St. Martin. In 176 they built their
present comfortable house. Rev. Daniel Driver
is resident pastor. The church is in a flourishing condition.
Prairie View church is an Denkard organization. Rev. David
Bowman is pastor and among the
leaders of the flock. This church was organized in 1874 and has
nearly 100 members.
Section 9
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