Family History Research Assistance for Primitive Baptist Churches in Jasper County, Iowa
CHURCHES:
ALLOWAY GROVE, NEWTON
The Alloway Grove Church joined the Mt. Pleasant Association on September 19, 1857. The minutes do not state exactly when the church was organized. The 1858 session of the association was appointed to be held with Alloway Grove Church, six miles northeast of Newton, in Jasper Co. The church dissolved in February 1865.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Acre, Alloway, Cox, Harrison, Herring, Hines, Lamb, Loofbuourrow, Sloan, Whitcomb (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
INDEPENDENCE, NEWTON
Independence Church joined the Mt. Pleasant Association on September 3, 1859. D. Hallowell was the first messenger.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Hallowell, Richmond (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
HARMONY, MONROE/WOODY
Harmony Church, three miles east of Monroe and 15 miles south of Newton, became a member of the Mt. Pleasant Association in 1859. The first messengers were T. Mitchell, John Woody, William Whitted, John Piper, John Stine, and Joseph Woody.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Bruce, Horton, Keeney, Mitchell, Piper, Sheeler, Stine, Whitted, Woody (very incomplete, but records have been found, and more information is pending).
SUGAR GROVE, NEWTON 1860
Sugar Grove Church, five miles west of Newton, joined the Mt. Pleasant Association in 1860, the first messengers being J. Park, William Johnson, W. Trotter, and E. A. Perkins.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Brock, Caldwell, Cannon, Durbin, Hammock, Hickman, Johnson, Newton, Parks, Perkins, Richmond, Trotter (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
PROVIDENCE, NEWTON 1860
Providence Church, three miles south of Newton, joined the Mt. Pleasant Association in 1860, the first messengers being D. Haynes, J. R. Lamb, and William King.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Allen, Elmontaller, Guessford, Hammock, Haynes, Herrin, Kenny, King, Lamb, McKinney (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
ZION, KELLOGG 1860
Zion Church, in Jasper County, was organized by 1860 or earlier, and was a member of the Western Association until about 1890. Zion Church hosted the association meeting in 1863, and again in 1870. From the few available association minutes, dated 1869, 1875 and later, in which the church is listed at all, the membership of the church is given at 6, 5, and 4, respectively. The names of some of the members included Thomas and Martha Antle, who lived on a farm six miles west of Newton in Jasper County; J. T. Aydelott; J. H. Cox; and Elias Smith. Elder Bonham Kester may have served this church as pastor prior to 1870.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Antle, Aydelott, Cox, Smith (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
ZOAR 1861
Zoar Church joined the Mt. Pleasant Association in 1861. Nelson Alloway was the first messenger.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Alloway (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
LYNN GROVE 1863
Lynn Grove Church joined the Mt. Pleasant Association in 1863. The first messenger was J. M. Treece.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Mitchell, Treece (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
LIBERTY
Liberty Church was organized in 1869. Elder John Lovett, a native of Wayne County, Kentucky, came to Iowa in about 1866 or 1867, and found a few scattered Baptists, and gathered them into a church capacity. With Elder Lovett as pastor, the church thrived from the beginning, until it had a substantial membership. During the ministry of Elder Lovett, Elders Fred Elmore and M. E. Young were also raised up as gospel ministers in the church.
Minutes of the Mt. Pleasant Association show that Liberty Church united with that body in 1870.
The church met for many years in the vicinity of Kellogg, Iowa, in Jasper County. The first church building was destroyed by the tornado of June 1882. Although several people were killed in the Rock Creek area, Liberty church members, who were meeting that evening, were instructed by the minister to lie on the ground outside the church as the tornado approached, and they escaped injury. The church building, however, was destroyed; and the members met the following day at the site to plan a new one. This building was used by the church until 1925; it is now being used by the Victor Grange. The congregation then purchased a building on Spencer Street, one block off of Highway 6 in west Grinnell. In 1970, the church moved the place of their meetings to the Veterans Memorial Building, on Broad Street in Grinnell.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Adkins, Cox, Elmore, Garrett, Herrin, Holmes, Jordan, Keeton, Koger, Lamb, Lewis, Lovelace, Parmley, Patrick, Phipps, Reed, Reeves, Rice, Richmond, Shields, Smith, Sullens, Turner, Van Sant, Whitcomb, Young (incomplete list due to lack of records).
ROCK CREEK
A church called Rock Creek was organized in 1872, and united with the Mt. Pleasant Association.
ANTIOCH 1872
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Holts, Richmond, Sego, Stiers (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
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