Primitive Baptist Church and Family History
Research Assistance for Polk County, Iowa
CHURCHES:
NEW BETHEL (AVON)(1850)
New Bethel Church, near Fort Des Moines (later near Avon), was organized on the third Saturday in July, 1850. The presbytery was composed of Elders John Hooton and Bro. Joshua Gentry from Mt. Pleasant Church, Madison County, Iowa, and Elder Jonathan Keeney of Union Church, Indiana. The charter members were William Edwards, Mary Edwards, Alanson Harrison, Elizabeth Harrison, Elder Jonathan Keeney, Elisabeth Keeney, Esther Keeney, Joseph A. Keeney, Samuel T. Keeney, Mary Keeney, Mary Keeney Jr., Matilda Keeney, Reason Kindall, Emily Kindall, and Elizabeth Krysher. In 1855 the church helped constitute the Mt. Pleasant Association, and remained in that connection throughout its history. In 1855 the church sent help to organize a cnurch in Boone County, Iowa; and also helped organize several other churches. Pastors who served this church included Elders John Hooton, Jonathan Keeney, S. T. Keeney, J. A. Cox, A. J. Goforth, and P. A. Whitcomb. J. B. Chapman, J. D. McGlothlin, and Charles Keeney were appointed trustees in December 1852, but the location of their meeting house has not yet been determined. In about 1860 the church extended an arm to the Dowell School House neighborhood near Greenbush. Elders Samuel T. Keeney and P. A. Whitcomb were ordained by this church.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Anderson, Baber, Brock, Chapman, Chiles, Connet, Cravens, Dowel, Edwards, Engle, Evans, Glasper, Gooch, Harrison, Helton, Herndon, Hornbeck, Huffman, Hurd, Jones, Keeney, Kindall, Krysher, Lanphire, Mason, McCoy, McGlothlin, Parker, Phipps, Riley, Rodgers, Salisbury, Shelton, Skiles, Stanhope, Starks, West, Whitcomb, Williams.
PROVIDENCE (1851)
Providence Church, in Polk County, Iowa, was organized in about 1851, and united with the Des Moines River Association that year. Messengers were Elder Bonham Kester (who moved to Arkansas in 1868, a year before his death), and Brother Abraham Foutch (who moved to Nebraska by 1870), both of whom took an active part, as moderator and clerk, in the Western Association, for several years after it was formed in October 1852.
Providence Church was listed as a member of the Western Association until 1890, when the minutes show it had dissolved. Of the few association minutes which still exist during that period of time (1852-1890), the only year that statistics were given for this church, 1875, show it had last reported 9 members. The only messenger's name available from the minutes was John Rees, in 1881. The exact location of the church has not yet been determined, but was probably located in Dist. 17, Camp township.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Dye, Foutch, Kester, Lewis, Monesmith, Rees (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
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