Family History Research Assistance for Madison County, Iowa
CHURCHES:MIDDLE RIVER
Middle River Church was the first church of any faith to be organized in what is now Madison County, Iowa. The early minutes of the church were destroyed by fire on November 7th, 1897, so part of the early history of the church has been lost.
In the summer of 1845 the Sac and Fox Indians were moved from Three River country, as this area was called, to a reservation in Kansas, opening the way for settlement by white men. On April 1, 1846, Hiram Hurst settled near where the town of Bevington now stands. He was a Primitive Baptist, and was later ordained to the ministry in Nebraska. On about May 3, 1846, the Clantons, Clarks and Guyes arrived. A few days later the Thornbrughs, Fidlers and Evans came.
In this number was Elder John Evans, who was the first minister of any faith to arrive in the county. He preached the first sermon, conducted the first funeral, married the first couple, and helped constitute the first church within the bounds of what is now Madison County. By the end of the year there were about three hundred settlers in the county.
Middle River Church was constituted in August 1847 at the home of John Butler. The presbytery was composed of Elders John Evans and William Hogan. The charter members were: John Butler, Susannah Butler, Samuel Crawford, Polly Crawford, Joshua Casebier, Louisa Casebier, James Thornburgh, Lemuel Thornburgh, Sarah Thornburgh, Sarah Fidler, Nancy Fidler, Acquilla Smith, Paulina Mendenhall, Matthew Jones, Betsy Chenowith, Asa Mills, Sarah Mills, William Gentry, Sarah Gentry, Widow Ellison, William Simmons, and Polly Simmons.
The first meetings were held in the crude pioneer homes of the members, including John Butler, William Gentry, James Thornburgh, Acquilla Smith, Samuel Crawford, and Elder John Evans. The membership soon increased to about fifty. Some of the other early family names who united with the church were Dorrell, Osburn, Pender, Casteel and Flynn.
In 1857 Elder John Evans sold his claim, but reserved and deeded two acres of land for a church and cemetery to Middle River Church. Work soon began on a meeting house, just east of the location of the present building. The building was enclosed and ready for the plasterers when the Civil War broke out, and the question of the abolition of slavery caused a division in the church. In September 1861, Elder Denison S. Tanneyhill, who was the pastor at that time, died, and meetings were discontinued for a time. There is a large cemetery, which is still in use, at the site of the present church, known as the Middle River Cemetery.
In 1903 Elder Frank M. Jordan raised money and a new church house was built where the present one stands. The first meeting was held in 1904, with Elder M. E. Young as pastor. A cyclone badly damaged the building in 1911, but the church continued to meet there until about 1920. Meetings were then held at the Buffalo School for a time. Finally, in 1925, the present church house was built or rebuilt by a group of men, most of whom were not members of the church, viz., John L. Crawford, George Poffinberger, John Evans, Elmer Banks, Ben Davis and Cleve Terry. In the mid-1960's the church building was raised and a basement was put under it. A front entryway was also added, and modern restrooms.
In 1918 Elder B. L. Nay began visiting the church, and after Elder Jordan's death, he became the pastor. In 1925 Brother Noah J. Wood was ordained and chosen as pastor, assisted for a brief period by Andrew W. Thompson. During the following years, before Elder Wood's death, which occurred in 1938, Elder B. L. Nay attended regularly, assisting him because of the infirmities of age. Elder Nay continued the care of the church until 1942, when he resigned. He was followed by Elder Isaac S. Nay until the early 1950's, when Elder B. L. Nay once again came back. Elder Fred Phipps then served for several years, and Elder Dovico Talbert came on the 3rd Sundays. In 1962 Elder Walter Acton and Dovico Talbert were called as co-pastors. Elder Larry Pearl is the present pastor of the church.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Baker, Banks, Blair, Bryant, Butler, Carter, Casebier, Chenowith, Crawford, Doty, Dummers, Durham, Ellison, Evans, Fidler, Frey, Gentry, Hartman, Henderson, Hood, Jaillite, Jessup, Jones, Jordan, Kellogg, Kemp, Kerrick, Kimbro, Mendenhall, Miller, Mills, Moore, Murphey, Nickelson, Osburn, Pender, Poffinbarger, Simmons, Smith, Tanneyhill, Terry, Thornbrugh, Wick, Wood, Woolery (incomplete list due to lack of records).
MT. PLEASANT
Mt. Pleasant Church, near Winterset, was organized in 1855, and united with the Mt. Pleasant Association.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Bishop, Burgess, Hooten, Riggs, Whitcomb, Whitted (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
NEW HOPE
New Hope Church, near Winterset, was organized in 1861, and united with the Mt. Pleasant Association.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Barker, Baugh, Berthoff, Casebier, Dickerson, Fields, Gentry, Harmon, Hooten, Marly (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
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