Family History Research Assistance for
Primitive Baptist Churches in Linn County, Iowa
CHURCHES:
YANKEE GROVE (1846)
Yankee Grove Church was organized in Linn County, in 1846, or earlier, with eight charter members. Among the number was Moses Morehouse, a licensed minister, and Michael Donahoo. In 1852 the church received ten members by letter. The church united with the Des Moines River Association in 1846, and continued in that body until the church ceased to meet. The association minutes show that the church represented by letter and messenger as late as 1862, and was finally dropped from the list of churches in 1867. Some of the members of this church had united with the Green's Grove Church, which was organized in 1859.
This church probably met either in a log cabin, or in the homes of its members, in the southeast corner of Linn County, Franklin township, near Lisbon or Mt. Vernon, in a settlement known as Yankee Grove.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Baldwin, Burch, Cottrell, Donahoo, Drake, Gott, Hahn, Harris, McBee, Morehouse, Philips (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
GREEN'S GROVE (1859)
Green's Grove Church was organized on March 26, 1859, with ten charter members, at a school house near Sister Gott's home, by a council from Yankee Grove church, composed of Elder Asher Cottrell, Daniel R. Lee, and David F. Gott. Eight more members were received during the first year after being organized.
This church united with the Des Moines River Association in the fall of 1859, and continued as a member, with some interruption, until the church ceased to meet. By 1924, the association minutes show that the church had only four members, and they were scattered, the clerk living at New Hampton, Iowa.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Beaman, Brockman, Busenbark, Cottrell, Gist, Gott, Harding, Laverty, Lemaster, Maddox, Martin, McLeod, Nay, Newman, Owen, Phillips, Plott, Remington, Roy, Stone, Van Dyke, Varner, Walters.
OTTER CREEK (1878)
Otter Creek Church was organized on February 8, 1878, with six members, viz., J. W. McLeod, Elizabeth McLeod, David Roy, Jane Roy, Sarah Ellen Newman, and John O. Newman. They were all holding letters from Big White Lick Church in Hendricks County, Indiana. When the church was constituted, and an invitation for the reception of members was given, Thomas Newman and Jane Newman were received for baptism. Elder D. T. Poynter, of Hebron, Ohio, also a member of Big White Lick Church, in the the Danville Association, had labored in the area for several weeks prior to the constitution, and he organized the church.
T. D. Newman was the first moderator, and J. W. McLeod the first clerk. T. D. Newman was also the first deacon, being ordained on February 16, 1878, at Logerhead Schoolhouse.
Elder Poynter continued the meetings two to three times a week, closing February 24, 1878; during this time, seventeen new members were added by baptism, making a total of twenty-three members. These meetings were held in Logerhead Schoolhouse, Center Schoolhouse, No. 5, and Union Schoolhouse, and in various homes. In November of the same year, Elder Poynter again visited the church and stayed until after the January meeting in 1879, during which time J. W. McLeod was ordained deacon and E. H. Reynolds was elected clerk to fill the vacancy made by the resignation of Brother McLeod. In January 1879 William Gregg was ordained to the work of the ministry, and Aquila Newman was elected deacon, and ordained in May of that year.
In December 1881, Elder Poynter again visited the church, the members having built a new meeting house and the first meeting was held there the second Saturday in January 1882. In March 1882, three trustees were elected, viz., David Roy, Sr., W. T. Reynolds, and T. D. Newman, who secured the services of a surveyor and had the cemetery laid out in lots.
In April 1882, Elder John Butler was received by letter, and preached occasionally while his membership was with the church. At the same meeting, John T. Roy was elected clerk and served the church faithfully until March 1898, when he moved away and W. B. Andrews was chosen to fill his place and served until his death in 1903. In April 1903, B. F. Brockman was elected. He served as clerk until his death in 1947. He was followed by Mrs. Ruth Shafer, Mrs. Berniece Mason, Marguerite Talbert Rolfe, and Audrey Malloy.
A protracted meeting was held in 1885, beginning the second Saturday in January and closed February 15th, during which time thirty-five members were added to the list, and one year later, twenty of this number were either excluded or withdrew from the church, including Elder William Gregg.
In May 1887, Elder Aquila Newman was ordained to the work of the ministry and served until he fell at his post while preaching a sermon in the church May 8th, 1897, in the presence of a goodly number of the members. In March 1892, Elder John R. Daily of Indiana visited the church, and while there he helped ordain Elder Homer G. Andrews to the work of the ministry.
In the fall of 1902 Elder J. W. Bradley having moved to Cedar Rapids, and after having considerable difficulty in locating any Primitive Baptists, came to visit the church in January 1903. He continued his visits for some time and later was called to the pastoral care of the church, and continued until 1913. During his pastoral care B. F. Brockman was chosen deacon, in May 1903.
In 1913 Elder B. L. Nay began visiting the church, as his time would permit, and in February 1917, he was called to the pastoral care. In October 1910, the church entertained the Des Moines River Association, and again in 1920. During the 1920 session, Elder Earl T. Brockman was ordained to the work of the ministry. In February 1921 he was called as assistant pastor.
The church represented, usually by letter (due to distance) in the Danville Association, from its beginning through 1900. In 1908, with Elder J. W. Bradley as pastor, the church was admitted to the Des Moines River Association, at which time the membership was 33. Otter Creek Church continued as a member of the Des Moines River Association until 1924. When the Association was revived in 1938, the church decided to remain independent and no longer represent in the association.
Pastors since 1922 have included Elders Burton L. Nay, Isaac S. Nay, Earl T. Brockman, C. D. Talbert, Rex Franklin, Clyde Farmer, and Carmen Gillum.
In May 1924 the church received a new church house from its building committee, and dedication services were held with a large congregation present. The church minutes for May 6, 1928, show that the church held a "rededication of the remodeled Green's Grove Church" on the occasion of the church's fiftieth anniversary. In September 1939, the church authorized a committee to offer their meeting house in Toddville for sale. In October the committee reported it had been sold, and that the church would now meet in our meeting house in "the Grove."
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Amspaw, Andrews, Bock, Bradley, Brockman, Butler, Derifield, Ditch, Fuller, Garrett, Gott, Gregg, Hoff, Maddox, Maloy, Mason, McLeod, Myers, Nay, Newman, O'Ragan, Obenchain, Oliphant, Rath, Ray, Remington, Reynolds, Roy, Shafer, Slaven, Squires, Talbert, Thomas, Willer (incomplete due to loss of part of the records).
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE SOURCES IN THE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST LIBRARY:
Minutes of the Des Moines River Association; Minutes of the Danville Association of Indiana. Part of the Records of Otter Creek Church.
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