Church and Family History Research Assistance
for Macoupin County, Illinois
CHURCHES:
PLEASANT MOUNT (MOUNT PLEASANT)(1820)
Pleasant Mount Church united with the Illinois Association in September 1830, her messengers being John Powell and David Coop (the first settler in Macoupin County, in 1815), who reported 9 members in fellowship. No further record of this church could be found in later minutes. A county history states that a church was organized at the home of John Powell in Hilyard township in the southern part of Macoupin County, in 1820, and that Elder William Jones was the first preacher. It also states that Elder William Jones was the first minister to preach in Polk township. The Memoirs of Elder David Badgley, written by Elder William Jones, states that in the year 1820 the two men organized a church on Macoupin Creek.
The Coop family moved in about 1825 to Shaw's Point township, and the church body probably moved its meetings there about that time. Mt. Pleasant Church again joined the Illinois Association in 1833, her messengers being David Gimblin and Christopher Dishir. In 1834, Mt. Pleasant Church joined the Apple Creek Association, her messengers being Ransom Coop, Robert Bagby, and David Gimblin. In November 1838, it was one of the founding churches of the Concord Association, Elder David Gimblin and Charles Hutton being the messengers, who reported 13 members. Elder Ransom Coop, and others of the Coop family moved to Jefferson County, Iowa, where they organized Round Prairie church, of the same faith, in March 1839. The Mount Pleasant church continued to meet until 1841.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS: Bagby, Borough, Coop, Disher, Gimblin, Hutton, Powell, Smith (very incomplete due to loss of records).
NORTH FORK OF MACOUPIN CREEK (CONCORD)(PLEASANT VIEW)(1829)
Pleasant View (formerly North Fork of Macoupin Creek, formerly Concord) Church was organized June 13, 1829. Eight charter members came together, viz., Braxton Mabry, Christian Mabry, James Mabry, Maximilian Mabry, Nancy Mabry, Sally Mabry, Reuben Clevenger, and Sally Clevenger. Elders William Rodgers, Aaron Smith, and Thomas Lee formed the presbytery. The church was organized before the present town of Palmyra came into being; the town was surveyed and laid out in 1835 under the name of Newburg; the name was changed to Palmyra in 1855.
The first building owned by the church was located about a mile southwest of Palmyra, at the site of the present day Ross/Richie cemetery, on the North Fork of Macoupin Creek, the name of the church at first. It was changed to Concord before 1836. It was a log structure, covered with split boards (clapboard) and long poles were fastened across these to keep the wind from blowing them away. In 1880, a frame building was erected at the site of the Weller Cemetery. The present building was constructed, at a third site, between August 1924 and May 1925. It was called "Pleasant View" for several years before the church officially changed its name from Concord to Pleasant View in August 1950. This building is located about three miles south and three miles east of Palmyra on Richie Road.
In late 1843 and early 1844, twelve members, including Elder John Solomon, were excluded from Concord Regular Baptist Church, who claimed the name Concord United Baptist Church, and continued to represent in the Apple Creek Association after it departed from the faith of the Regular Baptists and became a missionary body. This Missionary Baptist faction of Concord Church at one time increased to over forty members, but it dissolved in 1856.
The church passed through another season of tribulation between 1907 and 1909, when a majority of the members followed the leaders of what became the Progressive movement. Since the majority took charge of the building, those who protested their course were forced to retire to the residence of T. J. Weller. On October 9, 1909, the minority presented a letter of protest against the pastor, W. I. Dobbs, as to his manner of conducting the church. The protest was signed by S. J. Smith, Mary T. Weller, H. H. Holiday, C. A. Walk, Mary J. Conlee, Samantha Weller, and Lillie Walk. The protest was ignored, so a council was called by the minority to advise them. This council met in November 1909, and consisted of Elders John Willeford and Daniel Masters; and brethren J. R. Spires, George H. Conlee, Nathaniel Morris, L. C. Stone, Henry Sutton, Elmer Sutton, James McPeak, G. M. Rusher, Peter Coyl, and Nancy Smith. The council represented Head of Apple Creek, Otter Creek, Hopewell, Mt. Nebo, and Little Flock Churches.
Concord Church was served by the following pastors in the early years: John Howerton, Isaac Conlee, Allen W. Murray, Ira Turner, John A. Conlee, and W. I. Dobbs. Pastors since 1909 have been D. M. Master, J. A. Modlin, Baxter Hale, Orvel B. Prior, and James R. Harris.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
CONCORD:
Adam, Bacon, Brown, Burlison, Cain, Campbell, Chiles, Chin, Chitwood, Clark, Clevenger, Conlee, Conoway, Cranfill, Cummings, Dobbs, Dolby, Duncan, Dyer, Hall, Hampton, Hill, Holiday, Holliday, Holloway, Hopper, Howard, Howerton, Howser, Hunt, Jackson, Jirdan, Kirkpatrick, Lair, Lamar, Linder, Love, Mabry, McCollum, McManis, Miller, Moore, Morehead, Murray, Naddy, New, Obanion, Pitchford, Pitsford, Pool, Rafferdy, Randall, Record, Rice, Richards, Robertson, Roberson, Robinson, Ross, Sanders, Sharp, Simms, Sims, Smith, Solomon, Stanfield, Sutton, Taylor, Thomas, Tongate, Tremble, Turner, Walk, Walker, Weller, Westrope, Williams, Wills, Wood, Young (this list includes names only up to the time of the Progressive division, not afterward).
PLEASANT VIEW (PALMYRA):
Allen, Ashby, Bishop, Boxwell, Coffey, Conlee, Downing, Goodwin, Grafton, Gray, Hale, Harris, Holliday, Knight, Leach, Lockman, Lucas, Masters, McBride, Motley, Perkins, Rice, Richards, Smith, Stone, Sutton, Taylor, Walk, Weller, Witty.
LONG RUN (HEAD OF WOOD RIVER)
Long Run Church first joined the Illinois Association in 1830, at which time 12 members were reported in fellowship, four of whom had been added during the year. Her messengers in 1830 were Elder Alexander Conlee, John Murphey, and John F. Wood. The next year, the church had changed its name to Head of Wood River. In 1834 it united with the Apple Creek Association, Josiah Conlee being the messenger. A difficulty arose in this church in 1837, and several members, including Elder Alexander Conlee, withdrew and organized New Hope Church, in Madison County.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
SHILOAH
Shiloah Church was one of the original churches in the Apple Creek Association in 1830, and also one of the original churches in the Concord Association in 1838. Elder Stephen Coonrod was a member of this church in 1830. Elders John Barnett and John Record were also early members. Shiloah Church had a meeting house (probably made of logs) by 1841, when it hosted the Concord Association for the first time. In 1851, Shiloh Church reported 23 members, but in 1852 and thereafter it was dropped from the statistical table of the Concord Association, without any comment. It is probable that it went over to the missionaries at that time.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Barnett, Brown, Caudle, Coonrod, Drum, Harris, Houser, McManus, Record, Sharp, Smith, Watson (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
HOPEWELL (GILLESPIE)
Hopewell Church was organized August 6, 1831, at the home of Brother Joseph Hilyard, by the following six members, viz., Elder Pleasant Lemay, Genetta Lemay, Patton Walker, Martha Walker, John Allen and Joseph Hilyard. The presbytery consisted of Elders John Morris, Alexander Conlee and William Jones, and Brother David Gimblin. It was the first church in Gillespie township.
Elder Lemay was chosen pastor in September 1831, and continued in that office until his death in 1845. He was followed by Elders William F. Jerrell, David Gimblin, G. W. Jones, W. I. Dobbs, A. J. Witty, and J. A. Modlin.
Hopewell Church first joined the Illinois Association. In 1834, the church united with the Apple Creek Association. Hopewell Church was one of the churches dismissed from the Apple Creek Association, which organized the Concord Association in November 1838.
In April 1836, the church granted "a request from the Otter Fork to send our ministerial aid to assist in constituting them into a church, if found in order, on the last Saturday in April and first Sunday in May." In 1838, the church dismissed six members to organize Sugar Creek Church. In February 1852 the church sent ordained help to constitute brethren living on Cahokia into a church.
In May 1835, the church agreed to build a meeting house. In May 1851, the church appointed a committee of three "as a building or repairing committee, for to build or repair the meeting house." In April 1852, the church requested a deed to be obtained for the one acre of land on which the meeting house stands. No other mention of the site, or description of the meeting house, is given. The church was apparently located in Gillespie township, on Spanish Needle Prairie, and near the Wheeler Cemetery. A photo of the meeting house has not been found.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Adams, Allen, Ambrose, Best, Blevins, Broderick, Buchanan, Carroll, Chasteen, Conlee, Cottrell, Davis, Dewhurst, Dobbs, Ewing, Gilley, Gimblin, Gray, Grimes, Gwin, Harris, Hilyard, Huddleston, Jarvis, Jerrell, Johnson, Jones, Keel, Keller, Keltner, King, Lemay, Mahurin, Masters, McPeak, McWilliams, Miller, Milton, Modlin, Morrison, Nesbitt, Rafferty, Ramey, Reeves, Rice, Robertson, Robinson, Rose, Rusher, Sanders, Simmons, Skeen, Smith, Snelson, Stitts, Stratton, Suiter, Swan, Taylor, Thomas, Voyles, Wagner, Walker, Ward, Webb, Weller, Witt.
MT. PLEASANT (MEDORA)
Mt. Pleasant Church, near Medora (formerly Rhoad's Point), was organized on April 21, 1832.The charter members were John Rhoads, Sr., Henry Rhoads, Sr., Mary Rhoads, Thomas Stuteville, and Alley Stuteville. The presbytery was composed of Elders Alexander Conlee and Jacob V. Rhoads. The church soon united with the Apple Creek Association. In August 1832, the church was visited by Elder Jacob Bower, who wrote "Having preached two tours at Rhoad's Point, and the Baptists in that church appeared to manifest so much kindness, and respect for my manner of preaching, I left a number of appointments. But when I got there, I was informed by the pastor, that the church had the matter under consideration, and had resolved, for the sake of peace among themselves, and the Apple Creek Association, not to suffer me to make any more appointments in that vicinity, and he was requested by the church to inform me on the subject. I visited them no more but left them in peace."
The first meeting house was of logs and was twenty feet square. It was completed by June 1835. In April 1839, the church voted to sell the old meeting house and build a new one, which was completed by March 1845. This church was among those which went into the modern mission system.
MT. OLIVE (STAUNTON)
Mt. Olive Church was organized by members of Silver Creek Church who were living on Cahokia Creek, in May or June 1833. Telemachus Camp and wife were among the charter members, and early meetings were held in their home. Mount Olive Church was a member of the Kaskaskia Association, and it hosted the annual session of 1843. Membership in 1841 was 17; in 1843, 19; in 1849, 14; in 1853, 14; in 1860, 15, in 1862, 17. After 1862, the church failed to represent by letter and messenger in the Association. In 1867 a committee was appointed to inquire why this church, and two other churches, failed to represent. No reason was stated, but the church was listed as "not represented" from 1868 through 1871. In 1872 it was omitted from the tables in the Association minutes, without any reason given. The church later met in a building which the community erected for use for school and meeting purposes, located near the town of Mt. Olive, or Staunton, in the southeastern part of Macoupin County.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Best, Camp, Cormack, Cowell, German, Grant, Manley, McManus, Sawyer, Sexton, Sinclair, Skidmore, Spence, Wilcox (incomplete).
HONEY CREEK
Honey Creek Church, about four miles northwest of Clyde, united with the Apple Creek Association in 1835, with 17 members. The messengers were Thomas Moore, Jr., Samuel Brown, Elisha Mitchell, and Isaac Rucker. Elder Jacob Bower wrote as follows about this church, "On Saturday, June 29, 1832, I constituted a church in Macoupin county called Honey Creek, on seven members; it was afterwards visited by some Anti-mission preacher, who scared them on the subject of Missionary taxation till they consented, and were reorganized, and joined the Apple Creek Association." Thomas Corr deeded an acre of land to the church for a meeting house in January 1836, in Brushy Mound Township.
BETHEL (GIRARD)
In April 1836, Hopewell Church granted "a request from the Otter Fork to send our ministerial aid to assist in constituting them into a church, if found in order, on the last Saturday in April and first Sunday in May." Another source says they had six or seven charter members, and soon increasd to nine or ten members. After being organized, Bethel Church joined the Apple Creek Association, and then, in November 1838, was one of the original churches which composed the Concord Association. Members of this church included Henry Boggess Sr., Henry Boggess, Jr., Thomas Wristen, and Samuel R. Boggess. From the description of "Otter Fork," and from the fact that Samuel R. Boggess was later a member of the church in Girard, it is probable that Bethel Church was located in the vicinity of present-day Girard.
SUGAR CREEK
Sugar Creek Church was organized in about April or May 1838, by six members who were dismissed for that purpose from Hopewell Church, viz., Samuel Mahuren, Pheby Mahuren, John Mahuren, Rachel Mahuren, Stephen Mahuren, and Nancy Jarvis. Sugar Creek was one of the original churches which formed the Concord Association in the fall of 1838. The church called for helps to dissolve its constitution in 1843.
ROCK SPRING
SPRING CREEK (CLYDE)
Spring Creek Church, located about two miles southwest of Clyde, united with the Concord Association in 1852, and reported 12 members at that time. The church was probably gathered by Elder Carter Keel. The Harris, Blevins, and Jones families, and others, were also members of this church in early days. The church continued to meet until about 1942. Elders John A. Conlee and Baxter Hale were two of the last pastors. Sarah Keel and Elizabeth Harris were the last two clerks. The records have not been found, and a photo has not been located. However, deed records show that Tarleton Blevins and wife Sarah, on January 3, 1870, granted one acre of land to the trustees of this church, viz., Carter Keel, David Wood, Franklin Duncan, Henry B. Blevins, and John K. Beer. It was located in the southeast corner of the NE 1/4 of the NW quarter of Section 16, T8N R6W 3PM.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Beer, Blevins, Burge, Davis, Duncan, Farrow, Harris, Jones, Karnes, Keel, McDonald, Richards, Whitehead, Wood (very incomplete).
OTTER CREEK (GIRARD)
Otter Creek Church was organized May 18, 1861, in the town of Girard. The following Elders constituted them into a church, viz., Isaac Conlee, Charles Alsbury, and Stephen Coonrod. Names of members constituted were: Stephen Sheppard, Malinda Sheppard, F. T. V. White, Nancy White, William Metcalf, Huldah Metcalf, W. T. W. Howerton, Ali E. Howerton, David Byram, Elysa Byram, Samuel R. Boggess, Mary R. Boggess, and Rachel Sheppard. The following served the church as pastor: Elders B. B. Piper, F. T. V. White, W. Y. Wright, Edmund T. Morris, A. W. Murray, B. F. Querry, Ira Turner, John A. Conlee, Stuart Flanigan, and L. E. Sutton. Elder Sutton preached for 50 years.
Until 1883 the church held its monthly meetings in the homes of the brethren, but most of them in the home of Brother Samuel R. Boggess. In July 1883 the church agreed to build a meeting house. The first services were held there on October 20, 1883. It was located on the southwest corner of 5th and Mill Streets in Girard.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Alexander, Allen, Alsbury, Armstrong, Bartram, Beck, Boggess, Byram, Conlee, Cottenham, Covidill, Cox, Flanigan, Gunn, Hall, Hamilton, Henry, Hill, Holloway, Howerton, Huff, Hutchens, Hutchison, Jackson, Jarrett, McElhamon, McPeak, Metcalf, Montgomery, Morgan, Odell, Plowman, Richards, Robinson, Robison, Saunders, Sheppard, Smith, Smothers, Stone, Sutton, Thompson, Trimble, Turner, Vance, Vansickle, Weller, Wheeler, White, Williams, Witt, Woodward, Wright.
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED REFERENCE SOURCES IN THE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST LIBRARY:
Minutes of the Illinois Association; Minutes of the Concord Association; Microfilm of the Apple Creek Association; Minutes of the Kaskaskia Association; Records of Concord, Hopewell, and Otter Creek churches. Obituaries of members in periodicals. Copies of church council.
Copyright c. 2001-2024. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
