Organized 1882; present membership, 224; value of property, $1,000; Bible
school enrollment, 103.
This is six miles west from Louisville and
was largely made up from Old Union, five miles west.
Present membership, 24; value of property, $1,100; Bible school enrollment, 95.
Present membership, 139; value of property, $800; Bible school enrollment, 57.
Organized 1871, by Geo. P. Slade; present membership, 88; value of
property, including parsonage, $6,200; Bible school began 1872; present
enrollment, 100.
About one year after Greenburg Owens settled in
Clay City, he secured Evangelist Slade to conduct a meeting there, when, in
the small M. E. chapel South, he formed a church of Christ with the
following members: William, O. D. and Philadelphia Schooley, Greenburg and
Martha Owens, Geo. W. Bailey, Josephine Driskell, Catherine Livings and
Sarah A. Bassett. By meetings led by Ministers Slade and John A. Williams,
the number was increased to 105 at the close of the first year. The first
officers were Greenburg Owens, J. G. Alcorn and J. T. Evans, elders, with O.
D. Schooley, A. G. Livings and J. D. Trains, deacons.
A brick chapel
was completed in 1872 and first used for a prayer-meeting by the
congregation. A parsonage was secured in 1880.
This is a
congregation of fine people. While not rich in material property, they have
never resorted to anything of doubtful propriety to raise money. They have
respected and loved their pastors, paid all their bills promptly, commanded
the respect of the community, and have always observed all the missionary
days, even though they had no pastor.
The membership has been busy
in doing the Lord's work, united and happy. Very few have ever had a tale of
woe to tell the pastor. This admirable spirit is credited to Mr. Owens and
their other good leaders. Sixty of the first 105 have passed on to the
higher life. Mr. Owens was the first to go. Dr. J. T. Evans has long been a
pillar of this church.
Organized 1855, by William Schooley; present membership, 328; value of
property, including parsonage, $16,000; Bible school enrollment, 218.
This church was organized in an old log schoolhouse that stood a mile
west of the hamlet of Flora. The following were the nine charter members:
Walter Kinnaman, Henry Kinnaman and wife, Samuel Kinnaman and wife, Felin
Poe and wife and James Moore and wife. All of these have finished their work
in this life.
When a schoolhouse was built in the village, the
congregation transferred its meeting-place there. The first chapel was
completed in 1860. It cost $2,000, and served as the meeting-place for
forty-three years. The present beautiful and modern building was first
occupied in August, 1903, during the pastorate of A. B. Cunningham. During
the same period the parsonage was built.
C. W. Marlow is the present
pastor.
This congregation has had not a few royal men and women,
great children of the King. Among the earlier and continuous residents the
names of Wm. Kinnaman, Henry Kinnaman and wife, Joseph Luse and wife, Alvin
Kenner and wife, Jere. Billings and wife, R. B. Henry and wife, S. D.
Rosenburger and wife and Albert Green and wife are held in loving and
grateful remembrance. From its gates have gone hundreds of faithful people
to help and bless the world.
Organized 1839, by William Read; value of property, $5,000; Bible school
began 1864.
In 1840 the place now known as Ingraham was called the
"Forks of Muddy." Muddy was on the west and Laws Creek on the east, and
between the two was Ingraham Prairie. Marysville was the little hamlet
there. When the post-office was established the name was changed to
Ingraham, the word "Prairie" being dropped.
William Ingraham was
born in New York State in 1801. He came with his parents to Barney's
Prairie, Wabash County, in 1807, and to the Clay County settlement in 1838.
The same year William Read settled there. In May, 1839, he, with Mr.
Ingraham, went to the home of John Rogers to talk about religious matters.
They were agriculturists and had taken no part in public worship other than
to pray. However, they decided that the gospel must be preached and a church
organized; so it was agreed that Mr. Read should serve as evangelist, Mr.
Rogers as elder and Mr. Ingraham as deacon. Then they adjourned to meet the
next September. Later Mr. Rogers and Mr. Ingraham cordially exchanged their
official positions as their experiences had proved their fitness. At the
September meeting, Mr. Read read the following:
That we do here and
now constitute ourselves into a church of Jesus Christ, to be known as "The
Church of Christ in the Forks of Muddy," and that we will meet together,
worship God, and build the cause of Christ in this section, and that our
creed shall be the Bible and nothing but the Bible. And now all who agree to
this proposition will signify the same by giving me and to each other the
hand as a token of said determination.
The three men struck hands,
and thus, under a pear-tree, this church was started.
Soon afterward
Philo Ingraham and Eli Read moved from Wabash County, who, with their wives
and the wives of the first three, made a membership of ten. They entered
zealously into the Lord's work, and within a few years had organized
congregations of like faith in the present-day limits of Clay, Jasper and
Effingham Counties.
Within two years some Methodist brethren moved
into the settlement. Soon the theological battle was on, and for a long time
was both brave and bitter.
This church developed a sturdy stock of
men and women, such as make the abiding world and build the Kingdom of God.
The Ingrahams, Reads, Lollars and Pixleys blessed their generation.
The preachers produced were remarkable men. William Ingraham was the true
overseer of this church for forty years. Dorman, Daniel and Williard F.
Ingraham, William Read the evangelist, Jesse B. Shaddle (who gave over four
years to his country's service), G. M. and F. M. Lollar, Gideon Bryan,
Albert Meacham and Thomas Wood make up an honorable company.
From a
very early date the church observed its annual meetings, which were
occasions of great interest and rejoicing. The Bible school was organized by
David Hedrick, a Moravian. Later, in the State of Washington, he united with
the church of Christ.
The community was intensely loyal during the
Civil War.
It is a significant fact that this congregation did not
come to the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper till 1874.
There
have been three chapels. The first was built of logs in 1848; the second of
brick in 1853. Major Waller, of the M. E. Church, preached in this house
once every month for a year. The third a frame was built in 1872. The
Methodist brethren had the free use of this house also. Few congregations
have a record that surpassed that of the Ingraham Church.
Organized 1911, by C. W. Marlow; present membership, 22.
This
church is located five miles southwest of Flora. It grew out of the desire
of a few members of the Oak Mound congregation for a more convenient place
to worship. They joined with the United Brethren people in the community in
building a chapel, which was deeded to them, but used jointly. A union Bible
school was maintained. The Disciples increased in the community and the U.
B. people decreased, so a legal transfer of the property was made in 1911,
Min. C. W. Marlow leading.
The Bible school is up to date and a
training-class doing good work.
Present membership, 82; value of property, $1,800; Bible chool enrollment, 45.
Organized 1871; present membership, 96; Bible school enrollment, 85.
This church is located on Levitt Prairie, and was first known by that
name. A debate was held in the neighborhood schoolhouse in 1869 which
awakened the community. There were twenty-five charter members, some of whom
came from the Cooper congregation a few miles west, and others from the Slab
chapel a few miles east. The chapel was built in 1871. The first elders were
Daniel Reed and Joel Wammack. The church has given to the ministry W. E.
Harlow and William Crackel. It is a country church that persists in living
by working.
New Bethlehem, This is five miles northeast of Flora.
Organized 1905, by E. S. Thompson; present membership, 140; value of
property, $1,350; Bible school began 1905; present enrollment, 100.
This church is located five miles northeast of Flora. It started with
eighty- four members, some coming from surrounding congregations. Mr.
Thompson was the efficient minister for five years. R. L. Brown followed,
and A. R. Tucker is the present preacher. Walter Cox led to graduation
fifteen persons in Moninger's "Training for Service." Jas. L. McDaniels is
the efficient church clerk.
Present membership, 98; value of property, $700; Bible school enrollment,
57.
This is four miles north of Xenia. It was recruited from Old
Union. Here most of the young people are church-members.
Present membership, 60; Bible school enrollment, 50. This is eleven miles west of Louisville.
Present membership, 31; value of property, $1,500; Bible school enrollment, 80.
Present membership, 80; value of property, $1,800; Bible school enrollment, 65.
Present membership, 71; value of property, $1,200; Bible school enrollment, 47.
Organized 1865, by John D. Williams; present membership, 45; value of
property, $1,500; Bible school enrollment, 58.
The first officers
were Gillum Henson and John Dunn, elders; Hiram Gibson and Jackson Barker,
deacons. The congregation prospered and did good service in its earlier
years. Then a period of wars, led by ultra-conservatives, set in and
crippled its usefulness for a long time. At present there are some signs of
better days.
Extracted 03 Feb 2019 by Norma Hass from History of the Disciples of Christ in Illinois 1819-1914, by Nathaniel S. Haynes, published in 1915, pages 140-146.
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