Church and Family History Research Assistance
for Primitive Baptist Churches in Saline County, Illinois
CHURCHES:
BANKSTON'S FORK (HARRISBURG)(1818/1819)
It can be proven that Bankston's Fork Church was organized before June 1820, since ministers from Bankston's Fork church, Elders Wilson Henderson and Chester Carpenter, helped to organize Bethel's Creek Church at that time. Bankston's Fork Church was a charter member of the Muddy River Association in October 1820, at which time Elder Wilson Henderson, Joseph Newton, and S. Henderson were her messengers, who reported 36 members. Although the exact date of organization of Bankston's Fork Church is not known, it is probable that the charter members were dismissed from Big Creek Church (Hardin County) in 1818 or 1819, for that purpose. Elder Wilson Henderson (1762-1847, a Revolutionary War veteran), first pastor of this church, moved to Illinois in about 1818.
Bankston's Fork Church dismissed members to organize the following churches, viz., Bethel's Creek Church, June 1820; Ten Mile Creek Church, in September 1820; Lick Creek Church, in December 1820; North Fork of Saline River, in 1823; and Middle Fork of Saline River Church, in June 1826. The prosperity of this church during the 1820's is exhibited by the following statistics: 1820, 36; 1821, 25; 1822, 30; 1823, 39; 1824, 45; 1825, 35; 1826, 26; 1827, 32; 1828, 34; 1829, 34; 1830, 48; 1831, 40; 1832, 40; 1833, 28; and 1834, 26. This, notwithstanding that in 1820, 63 members were dismissed by letter; in 1823, 12 were dismissed by letter; in 1826, 22 were dismissed by letter; and in 1833, 14 were dismissed by letter.
In about 1833, Elder Henderson promoted a change in the 5th Article of Faith of Bankston's Fork Church, and others he was serving, which led to trouble in the Muddy River Association (even though neither the original nor amended article was unsound), and led Bankston's Fork Church to declare non-fellowship with the Association in 1834. The Middle Fork of Saline River, Bethel's Creek, and Wolf Creek Churches at first made the change, but then readopted the former article. This conflict led Elder Henderson and Bankston's Fork to withdraw and help form the United Baptist Union Association (which lasted only from about 1834-1839). Coffey's History states that Elder Henderson never intended to join the missionaries, but was intensely opposed to them. In November 1845 Middle Fork of Saline River, Bethel's Creek, and probably others, received a request to sit with Bankston's Fork the next month "for the purpose of instructing that church the course to pursue to become in full fellowship with the Baptist union." The committee from Bethel's Creek reported that they were not able to meet due to sickness and inclemency of the weather. In June 1846 Elder Henderson joined Bethel's Creek Church "by recantation." Bankston's Fork Church was never readmitted to the Muddy River Association. Bankston's Fork Church ceased to exist in 1849. The Missionary Baptist Church called Bankston's Fork, was organized several years later, and is not the same church, nor even a reconstituting of this original Bankston's Fork church, although such claims have been made and are widely believed.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Abney, Bethel, Blackman, Boyd, Bramlet, Caldwell, Carpenter, Cook, Emerson, Feazel, Gholson, Hall, Hampton, Henderson, Hyde, Isham, Jones, Lee, McGee, Miller, Moore, Moss, Naught, Newton, Pearce, Powell, Reeves, Rice, Rogers, Shirley, Spillmore, Sweeton, Tanner, Tarleton, Thompson, Upchurch, Vance, Walker, Williams (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
BETHEL'S CREEK (RALEIGH/GALATIA)(1820)
Bethel's Creek Church was organized June 17, 1820, as a Regular Baptist Church, with fourteen charter members, viz., Ezekiel Hyde, Polly Hyde, Nancy Reeves, Mary Upchurch, Rebecca Upchurch, Green Bethel, Tilly Bethel, Chester Bethel, Jane Bethel, Drewry Thompson, Patty Isham, Molly Sweeton, Peggy Thompson, and Elizabeth Bramlet. The presbytery was composed of Elders Wilson Henderson and Chester Carpenter from Bankston's Fork Church, and Elders Isaac Herring and John Wren from East Fork of Muddy River Church.
The church agreed to practice the example of washing feet in June 1822. In March 1823, they agreed to move the place of worship to a school house. In July 1827 the church appointed a committee to select a site on which to build. In June 1828, the church agreed to proceed with building a meeting house. In 1839, a stand and seats were made, in preparation for the congregation in a grove during the Association.
Elder Wilson Henderson was the first pastor, but was dropped when Bankston's Fork withdrew fellowship from the Muddy River Association in 1834. The minutes of June 1846 state: "Received Elder Wilson Henderson by recantation. On motion, the clerk was ordered to give him the following certificate, viz., The Regular Baptist Church of Jesus Christ at Bethel's Creek, Gallatin County, Illinois, To all whom these presents shall come, Greeting: Know ye that Elder Wilson Henderson has been restored to membership and full fellowship with us, and in the discharge of all his ministerial functions and he is hereby authorized to open a door for the reception of members at any suitable time and place he may choose as an arm of this church. Done in conference, Saturday before the third Lord's day in June 1846." In May 1847, the church called upon a presbytery to restore Elder Henderson to his ministerial functions, by examining him and finding him orthodox, and granting him credentials, as recommended by the Muddy River Association.
Other pastors included Elders William Gholson (March 1835), James Downey (May 1841), Richard Fulkerson, Simon Reeder (July 1893), W. C. Kane (this list is incomplete).
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Abney, Allen, Anderson, Barger, Barnfield, Bayes, Bell, Bethel, Bishop, Blankinship, Bond, Bosley, Bourland, Boyd, Braden, Bramlet, Brown, Bullard, Burkhardt, Burnett, Busby, Cantrell, Caruthers, Choisser, Clanton, Clay, Coffey, Coy, Craley, Crawford, Curtis, Davis, Deen, Dellingham, Downey, Durham, Elder, Erwin, Fields, Flanigan, Folsum, Fowler, Gasaway, Gehon, Goes, Goods, Grisham, Griswold, Hall, Hampton, Hancock, Heathman, Henderson, Hicks, Hodge, Horn, Hunt, Hyde, Isham, Jennings, Johnson, Johnston, Jolly, Jones, Karnes, Kennamer, Kittinger, Knight, Lamberson, Lane, Largent, Lewis, Lock, Malcom, Martin, Massey, Medling, Meredith, Miner, Moore, Morrow, Mulligan, Murphy, Newman, Odle, Parker, Pauly Powell, Prior, Reed, Reeder, Reeves, Seal, Shasteen, Simmons, Sloan, Smith, Sutton, Sweeton, Thomas, Thompson, Thorn, Toliver, Turner, Upchurch, Vantrease, Waggoner, Weir, Williams (incomplete due to lack of records).
MIDDLE FORK OF SALINE RIVER (THOMPSONVILLE)(1826)
Middle Fork of Saline River Church was organized on July 1, 1826, by Elders Wilson Henderson and Charles Lee. The charter members, who were dismissed for that purpose from Bankston's Fork Church, were John Hall, Matthew Hall, Henry Hall, William Hall, Stephen Caldwell, Elizabeth Rogers, Sinthy Hall, Polly Caldwell, Prudence Hall, Rhoda Abney, Elizabeth Jones, Elizabeth Hampton, and Sally Williams.
Some of the pastors of this church included Elders Wilson Henderson (1826), Charles Lee (April 1834), William Gholson (October 1834), Joseph Tucker (November 1835), William Thomas, Achilles Coffey, J. T. F. Lewis (1849), Thomas Spain (September 1852), Thomas Coffey, John Gibson, C. M. Weaver, C. C. Mitchell, L. P. Harriss, W. E. Weaver, and A. H. West.
Middle Fork Church united with the Muddy River Association in 1826, and was dismissed to go into the organization of the Bethel Association in 1829.
In November 1840 Middle Fork Church agreed to build a new meeting house near the old one. These first two buildings were probably both log structures. In August 1846, and again in August 1858, the church appointed three trustees to obtain a deed for the church property. In September 1866, the church agreed to hold their winter meetings at the Hall Town school house. In March 1869, the church agreed to sell their meeting house. In October 1870 the church appointed trustees to procure a deed for land on which to build a new building, at Hall Town, which was done. The next month a building committee was appointed to superintend the construction.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Abney, Adams, Adelberger, Bailey, Barger, Barnfield, Brown, Caldwell, Canamore, Cantrell, Carner, Clark, Cook, Culpepper, Daniel, Durham, Edwards, Fite, Fraser, Gowen, Gratton, Hall, Hampton, Harris, Hogan, Holiday, Hudson, Hunt, Hunter, Inby, Jones, Keelin, Kelley, Knight, Largent, Martin, McFarland, Melton, Mitchell, Moore, Morris, Neighbors, Pearce, Peel, Pugh, Raley, Reed, Rogers, Rumsey, Ryan, Spain, Stilley, Stubblefield, Thomas, Upchurch, Varner, Weaver, Weir, White, Williams, Woodson, Woolard, Wray (incomplete due to lack of records).
WOLF CREEK (ELDORADO)(1830)
Wolf Creek Church, at the west edge of Eldorado, was organized in June or July 1830. In June 1830, Bethel's Creek Church dismissed twelve members for the purpose of constituting a new church, viz., William Sutton, Rhoda Sutton, Nancy Choisser, Elijah Jones, Mariana Jones, Moses Fowler, Elizabeth Fowler, Marvel Brown, Polly Brown, Coleman B. Bramlet, William Johnson, and Sarah Hall.
Records are not clear as to how many different buildings the church used in its early history, but at least one log building was erected prior to 1847. In August 1846, Jonathan Brown conveyed a deed to the Wolf Creek Church. This site is probably the highest hill at Wolf Creek, where the oldest part of the Wolf Creek Cemetery is located. The present meeting house was built in about 1900, with dimensions of 60 by 40 feet. Early meetings were probably held in the Brown Block House, on the old pioneer Kaskaskia Trail.
A partial list of ministers who have served as pastor is as follows: Elders Wilson Henderson, C. H. Clay (1848), Achilles Coffey (1848), Moses Pearce (1849), Jeremiah Lewis (1849), John Pearce (1849), D. C. Clay (1849), E. R. Moore (1851), Jacob Braden (1851), Joseph Tate (1855), Thomas Spain (1859), Joseph Barnes (1859), Joel Hume (1864), John Gibson (1869), Thomas Reeder (1873), Lemuel Potter (1878), W. P. Hancock (1879), Simon Reeder (1886), John Reeder (1891), H. A. Todd (1898), H. J. Gwaltney (1903), C. F. Stuckey (1904), W. C. Kane (1911), T. Leo Dodd (1919), Lawrence Mundy (1972), Otto Byers (1975), and presently, John O'Dell.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Adolph, Allen, Ashby, Baird, Baker, Barnes, Bayer, Beasley, Beckler, Bennett, Bishop, Bourland, Boyer, Bramlet, Brown, Bryan, Buchanan, Bugard, Burks, Burnett, Burns, Butler, Byrun, Cantrell, Carder, Cavaness, Cheek, Clark, Cooper, Cox, Davenport, Defur, Demint, Deremiah, Dodd, Dollin, Dunham, Easley, Elder, Endicott, Farris, Feuquey, French, Friend, Garrison, Gates, Gehon, Gerkin, Gholson, Gibson, Gourley, Green, Gulledge, Gunter, Gwaltney, Haby, Hafford, Hale, Haley, Hall, Hancock, Hardy, Hatcher, Hayes, Hendricks, Henson, Hicks, Hill, Hodge, Holland, Hurley, Ingersol, Irvin, Johnson, Jones, Kane, Karnes, Kellems, King, Kite, Leach, Lemons, Little, Martin, Marx, Massey, Mathis, Matthieu, McCain, McGowan, Menser, Mills, Moore, Morris, Moye, Murphy, O'Dell, Odom, Oglesby, Pankey, Payne, Pearce, Pemberton, Phelps, Pierce, Porter, Read, Reed, Reeder, Ritchey, Roach, Roark, Roberts, Rosenbery, Scott, Seats, Sellers, Shannon, Shaver, Sinclair, Slane, Snedecor, Staten, Stephenson, Stinson, Stovall, Stricklin, Stuckey, Swain, Tankersby, Thaxton, Thomas, Tucker, Upchurch, Wallace, Wallis, Watson, Wesley, Westfall, Whisnat, Williams, Wilson,Wolf, Wood, Yates, Young (incomplete list due to lack of part of the records).
BRUSHY FORK (HARCO)(1843)
Brushy Fork Church, near Harco, was organized by members who were dismissed for that purpose from Bethel's Creek Church in March 1843, viz., Richard Isham, Piety Isham, William Abney, Rhoda Abney, Nancy Grissom, Winna Carney, Malinda Bond, and Polly Murphy, and possibly a few others.
Brushy Fork Church joined the Muddy River Association in 1843, at which time Richard Isom and William Abney were the messengers, who reported 12 members. Elders Chester Carpenter and Milton Carpenter both joined this church. Other ministers who were members here included Elders B. G. Murphy, W. M. Morgan, and T. J. Johnson.
Pastors of Brushy Fork Church have included the following: Elders J. T. F. Lewis (1849), Achilles Coffey (1853), Isaac Walker (1853), Thomas Spain (1855), B. G. Murphy (1881), Wilford Morgan (1882), S. R. Foster (1883), Josiah Harris (1888), John Reeder (1894), W. E. Weaver (1897), C. F. Stuckey (1900), H. A. Todd and W. C. Arnold (jointly, 1901), B. F. Querry (1902), W. A. Fish (1903), T. Leo Dodd (1922 as assistant and 1928 as pastor), Mervin Drake, and John O'Dell.
The early records show that a meeting house was built in 1863. (It is possible an earlier building was erected prior to 1849, the date of earliest minutes still in existence, as the church was organized in 1843.) In 1888 the church agreed to build a new meeting house, and the building committee made their report in April 1889. This building was evidently destroyed by fire in April 1900. It was replaced by another, smaller structure, which was sold and moved, and the present meeting house built, in 1922. The "Old Brushy Cemetery" is adjacent to the church grounds on the north and west.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Abney, Aldridge, Allen, Anderson, Anglin, Arnold, Avery, Barrett, Bell, Berry, Blackburn, Boatright, Bond, Bozarth, Braden, Brown, Burcham, Calwell, Carner, Carpenter, Carson, Carter, Casky, Clayton, Cleveland, Coffey, Cooper, Cox, Davis, Dunn, Elder, Evans, Fleming, Garis, Garner, Garrett, Garrison, Gasaway, Gogue, Grisham, Hafford, Hall, Harris, Hawkins, Henderson, Henson, Hoffard, Hopkins, Inghram, Isaacs, Ishom, Johnson, Jordan, Kane, Kinman, Lane, Mayhew, Moore, Morgan, Morris, Morse, Mosley, Murphy, Nolen, Norman, Owen, Patterson, Patton, Phenix, Potter, Ray, Reynolds, Rice, Rone, Roy, Simmons, Somers, Spain, Spencer, Stone, Teal, Thomas, Vineyard, Wagner, Walker, Wallace, Weir, West, Williams, Woodward.
COTTAGE GROVE (ELDORADO)(1849)
Cottage Grove Church was organized in 1849, near Eldorado, by members who were dismissed for that purpose from Wolf Creek Church, viz., . E. F. Bourland, Elizabeth Bourland, Rachel Bourland, William Bourland, E. R. Moore, Isaac A. Moore, Jonathan B. Moore, Lucinda Moore, Moses P. Moore, Phebe A. Moore, William W. Moore, Elder Moses Pierce, Martha Pierce, Robert D. Pierce, Harriet T. Pierce, and William R. Pierce. Cottage Grove Church was a member of the Muddy River Association.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Berry, Bourland, Carneyhan, Clark, Kane, Mitchell, Moore, Pierce, Reeder, Smith (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
BETHLEHEM (TEXAS CITY)(1865)
Bethlehem Church was organized at the Texas school house, in October 1865. The following members were dismissed from Wolf Creek Church for that purpose, viz., James Odom, Joshua Reeder, R. Reeder, Thomas Cox, Sinclair Butler, J. L. Gwaltney, John R. Gwaltney, Eliza Defur, Mary Reeder, Nancy Gwaltney, Elizabeth Gwaltney, and Ruth Butler. In September 1866, the church united with the Muddy River Association, her messengers being J. L. Gwaltney, J. Reeder, and R. Reeder, who reported a total of eighteen members. The church continued to represent in the Muddy River Association.
Bethlehem Church moved as a body to Chautauqua County, Kansas, in 1874. After arriving in Kansas, the church united with the Elk River Association of Kansas. Elders Nathan Reeder and Thomas Reeder were members of this church. It held meetings at various places in Ottawa, Montgomery, and Chautauqua counties.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Butler, Cooper, Cox, Defur, Gwaltney, Odom, Reeder (incomplete).
FRIENDSHIP (TEXAS CITY)(1887)
Friendship Church was organized August 20, 1887, with sixteen charter members, viz., A. A. Cox, James Cheek, J. R. Gwaltney, T. M. Gwaltney, Simon Reeder, Jr., S. C. Endicott, G. W. Endicott, W. G. Cox, Ruth A. Cox, Lucinda Johan, Jane Cox, Palina Slocum, George M. Slocum, Mary J. Endicott, A. J. Hayes, Elvis Hayes. The presbytery included Elder Lewis Hon, moderator, and Elder Simon Reeder, clerk.
In 1892, the church agreed to obtain a deed for property on which to build a meeting house, and appointed trustees to handle the same.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Brill, Carnahan, Cheek, Cooper, Cox, Elder, Endicott, Ferrell, Gibbs, Gwaltney, Hancock, Hardy, Hayes, Johann, Maloney, McReynolds, Moultray, Murphy, Read, Reeder, Slocum, Smith, Upchurch, Vickers, Williams (incomplete list due to loss of part of the records).
LITTLE VINE (STONEFORT)
Little Vine Church, at Stonefort, was organized in 1909, with six members. In September 1909, the church petitioned for membership in the Muddy River Association, by her messenger, J. G. Lanham, and was received. Three members were dismissed by letter the same year, leaving only three members, J. G. Lanham, Laura Lanham, and John Carr.
HARRISBURG (HARRISBURG)
The Harrisburg Church was constituted in 1921 with twelve charter members. Elder W. C. Kane, of Harrisburg, was chosen the pastor. The new church soon received three or four new members, but several moved away within a short time. They purchased a church building in the city for $2,700.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Cox, Ferrell, Fugate, Hopkins, Taylor (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE SOURCES IN THE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST LIBRARY:
Minutes of some of the churches; minutes of the Muddy River Association; obituaries and writings of members in church periodicals.
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