Church and Family History Assistance
for Primitive Baptist Churches in Schuyler County, Illinois
CRANE CREEK (RUSHVILLE)
Crane Creek Church was organized on the third Saturday in December 1826, according to records of Union Church of Morgan Co. (which show that a request for helps to form a presbytery was received, to meet for that purpose at that time). It joined the Sangamon Association in 1828, the messengers being Richard Black and William Stephens, who reported 21 members. Crane Creek Church was dismissed from the Sangamon Association in 1830 to go in the formation of the Spoon River Association. Crane Creek Church was located in the vicinity of present day Rushville, but the exact site has not been determined. Elder Peter L. Campbell was an early member here, and served as pastor for most of the existence of the church. It is probable that some of the earliest meetings were held at the home of Richard Black, who had a cabin on land purchased from Willis O'Neal, which later became the site of the courthouse square in Rushville. In 1832, the church had been meeting at the cabin homes of Matthias Masten and George Swan. Another source says the church met south of Rushville in later years.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Black, Campbell, Dark, Fowler, Gilham, Hills, Kennedy, Lennox, Logan, Masten, O'Neal, Ray, Sellars, Shure, Stephens, Swan, Wilson (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
CROOKED CREEK (RUSHVILLE)
Crooked Creek Church, south of Rushville, was organized in 1830 or 1831, and was probably one of the charter members of the Spoon River Association. It was dismissed, along with several other churches, to form the Salem Association, in 1835. In 1842, the church helped constitute the Mt. Gilead Association; however, by 1858, the church had become a member of the Spoon River Association again, where it remained until the church dissolved, in 1890.
A county history says that Elders John Logan, John Ray, William Crow, and others, were early preachers here.
On September 24, 1831, Isaac Naught gave one acre of land to the County Commissioners of Schuyler County, for the use of the Regular Baptist Church, known by the name of Crooked Creek Church, for the purpose of building thereon a house of Divine Worship. This land was part of the south half of the northwest quarter of Sec. 2, in Township 1 South and Range 2 West. There is a cemetery at the site.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Allen, Black, Burnett, Clark, Cottrell, Edmonston, Friend, Gholson, Harris, Keith, Kittering, Lawler, Naught, O'Neal, Skaggs, Starr (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
NORTH FORK OF LITTLE MISSOURI (HUNTSVILLE)
North Fork of Little Missouri Church was organized on July 24, 1841, and was located about five miles south of Huntsville. David Simms and wife, Sarah, were among the charter members, and he was ordained as deacon the following August. This church became a member of the Salem Association, and later of the Mt. Gilead Association. The church dissolved in July 1874.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Ausmus, Clark, Foster, Gibbs, Harris, Rama, Sims, Wilson (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
NEW BETHANY (BROOKLYN)
New Bethany Church was organized by 1841 - as Elder Samuel Dark baptized Sister Mariah Davis Gossage into this church during that year (the church was probably constituted in the 1830's, but records have not been found to prove the date). It was probably formed by members from Crane Creek Church who lived in this part of Schuyler County. New Bethany Church was located in the vicinity of Brooklyn or Littleton, Illinois (the exact location has not been determined). Elders John B. Moore and Samuel L. Dark were members and pastors here for many years.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Black, Cottrell, Dark, Davis, Gossage, Hillyer, McClintock, Moore, Reeder, Sellars, Vanbevers, Weaver (very incomplete list due to loss of the records).
SUGAR CREEK (See also Fulton County)
Sugar Creek Church may have met in Oakland Township of Schuyler County, as the Spoon River Association minutes show that this church hosted the association four miles southwest of Vermont, in 1859. Meetings were probably held in homes, prior to the building of their meeting house in Vermont in about 1907. Several of the early members of this church lived in Schuyler County, but a deed has not been found for a meeting house there. The church met in Vermont until about 1930.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Brown, Bruner, Campbell, Ellis, Hannan, Hills, Lybarger, McFadden, Milner, Montgomery, Moore, Pemberton, Reynolds, Schroder, Snowden, Sterling, Welch (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
Obituaries of members:
Click here to read the obituary of:
Mariah Davis Gossage
Elder Samuel Dark
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