Church and Family History Research Assistance
for Primitive Baptist Churches in Richland County, Illinois
CHURCHES:
ANTIOCH (OLNEY)
Antioch Church was organized in about 1823. It is believed to be the first church of any faith in the county. Early members included Elder William H. Martin, Thomas Banks, A. Banks, Asa Smith, Asa Hammond, E. Brant and others. Elder William H. Martin, a pioneer from Kentucky, was the first pastor. The first meeting house was a log structure situated about five miles east of Olney on the "trace road." It may have been built as early as 1822; it was also used for a school. Antioch Church was a member of the Little Wabash Association from 1825 until 1891, when the Central Association was formed. The church may have met part of the time in Lawrence County, also. In the early 1900's the members of Antioch Church moved as a body to Arkansas.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Banks, Bass, Besley, Brant, Brines, Courter, Gaddy, George, Hammond, Jones, Lambert, Leatherland, Martin, Milburn, Smith, Tarpley, Walser, Wilson (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
UNION (CLAREMONT)
Union Church was organized November 7, 1827, at the home of Brother Richard Gardner, having previously met as an arm of Antioch Church. The charter members were as follows, viz., Richard Gardner, Polly Marshall, Mason Marshall, Sarah Morehouse, Lewis Cheek, Mary Bullard, Briant Bullard, Elizabeth Cheek, Elizabeth Blanchard, Thaddeus Morehouse, Elizabeth Bullard, Benjamin Coats, Elizabeth Blanch, John Nelson, Cyntha Chauncy, Benjamin Bogard, Lois Bullard, John Bullard, Sarah Bunch, William Cheek, Martha Gardner, Elijah Gibbs, and Nancy Blackmon. The presbytery was composed of Elders Daniel Parker, William Martin, and Elias Roberts, and other Brethren, Coles Beasley, Asa Hammon, William Herron, Lot Sams, and Thomas Carney.
A hewn log meeting house with dimensions of 24 by 30 feet was built in 1832 on one acre of land owned by Brother Richard Gardner. In 1848 a committee was appointed to fix the meeting house, including finishing said house if they can get sufficient funds.
Pastors included Elders William Martin, Richard Gardner, Benjamin Coats, and William Trainer.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Ashcraft, Barnet, Blackman, Blanchard, Bogard, Bullard, Bunch, Carmichael, Chauncy, Cheek, Coats, Cottrell, Davis, Gardner, Gayers, Gibbs, Gilmore, Hall, Hobbs, Jaggers, Lamb, Lowery, Mahurin, Marshall, May, Morehouse, Nelson, Nicholson, Nonn, Pearson, Phillips, Pierce, Prolins, Randall, Reeds, Richards, Ring, Ryan, Sawyer, Shipley, Snyder, Stewart, Studaville, Sumner, Terry, Thompson, Trainer, Umfleet, Utterback, Wilson.
NEW HOPE (DUNDAS)
New Hope Church was organized on August 17, 1839, with eight charter members, viz., Clem N. Thomson, Mary Ann Thomson, Gabriel M. Reed, Lucinda Reed, Priddy Mahuren, Eliza Mahuren, John Cotterell and Polly Cotterell. The presbytery was composed of Elders Richard Gardner, Benjamin Coats, Daniel Doty, Jeremiah Doty, and Brethren Lot Sams, Isaac Greathouse, Harvey Doty, Featherston Doty, Charles Studeville, and Shelby Allison.
Note: The records of Union Church indicate John P. Lamb, Rebecca Lamb, Martin Utterback, Hannah Utterback, Ann Ashcraft, and Sarah Ryan, were also dismissed to go into the constitution, but it may be that they did not do so. Most of the members had been received by letter into Union Church only a month prior to forming New Hope Church.
The first church building of which a record was found was built in 1865. It was later moved from its original location into the town of Dundas. This house was destroyed by lightning. The second and last meeting house was built in 1898 in Dundas.
Elder Martin Utterback served the church for about two years; he was followed by Elders Daniel Doty, Benjamin Coats, Richard Gardner, William Trainer, Isaac J. Fuller, J. F. George, Jasper N. Dalby, and George W. Inyart.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Allison, Ashcraft, Baughn, Beam, Blakely, Bullard, Butler, Clapp, Colbert, Cottrell, Cox, Crow, Edwards, Fulk, Fultz, Gardner, Gasaway, Houser, Howard, Inyart, Irwin, Jenkins, Kermickle, Kinkade, Lamb, Mahurin, Mattingly, Metcalf, Midkiff, Mitchell, Modlin, Phillips, Pope, Ray, Reed, Rodgers, Runyon, Ryan, Sanders, Simpson, Spiker, Stark, Stewart, Stockwell, Terkle, Thompson, Tillotson, Trainer, Upton, Utterback, Wardell, Wiles, Williams.
SHILOH (OLNEY)
Shiloh Church was also organized in pioneer days. This church also erected a log meeting house about five miles west of Olney, on Andrew Evans' property on the "trace road.". Elder Champion S. Madding was the first pastor. Shiloh Church joined the Little Wabash Association in 1848, and continued as a part of that association until 1870, when the church was dropped for failing to represent.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Bullard, Evans, Goodwin, Jones, King, Madding, Mitchell, Moore, Shields, Smith, Walker, White (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
LITTLE ZION (CLAREMONT)
By request a number of Elders and brethren from different churches and associations met at the White School House in Richland Co., Ill., on Saturday before the fifth Sunday in October, 1869, and after preaching by Elder William H. Smith, organized a council for the purpose of constituting the following named brethren and sisters into a Regular Baptist church, viz., Richard Gardner, H. H. Rush, L. D. Gardner, Seth Umfleet, Elisha Gardner, William Greathouse, Mary J. Greathouse, Rebecca Umfleet, Mary Gardner, Lucy J. Gardner, Harriet Milone, and Jane Gardner.
The newly constituted church held her meetings at the White School house, about three miles south of Claremont station, in Richland County.
Little Zion Church joined the Little Wabash Association in 1870, and continued as a part of that association until 1891, when it was dismissed to join the Central Association, organized that year.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Gardner, Greathouse, Milone, Rush, Umfleet (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE SOURCES IN THE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST LIBRARY:
Minutes of the Little Wabash and Central Associations; records of Union and New Hope Churches.
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