Clark County IL Archives News.....Church Building Sold to Highest Bidder 1941
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Cindy McCachern mccachern@sbcglobal.net

Church Building to be Sold to Highest Bidder

Wednesday, 23 July 1941, Robinson, Illinois

On Thursday, July 24, at two o'clock in the afternoon, the
Plymouth Methodist church building located in Melrose Township, a
few miles west of West York will be sold to the highest bidder,
With the wrecking of this building will pass one of the old
landmarks of that section.

The church was organized in 1838 at an old school house near
Melrose by Rev. William Blundell.  The first meetings were held
in this school house and at the home of Nixon Evans and his wife,
Emily Minerva (Bartlett) Evans, whose grave was the first in the
well-kept cemetery adjoining the chuch lot.  Mrs. Evans died
September 17, 1853.

The church was built in 1860 with Miles Evans, W. D. Lamb,
Leander Frost and Zachariah Henry named as trustees.  The land
was bought from John B. Richardson.  From the time of the
organization of the Plymouth church until his death at the age of
nearly ninety years, on October 27, 1904, Nicon Evans was a loyal
and active leader of the congregation.  He preached his last
sermon there at the funeral of Noble Drake, son of Mr. and Mrs.
James Drake, on May 15, 1895, when he was 79 years of age.

The roster of names of the members for the year 1859 are
contained in the old Class Book of the church on the fly leaf of
which is written, "Class Book for Evan's Class, Livingston
Circuit, Paris District, Ills., Conference I. L. Crane Presiding,
Elder and H. C. Hockensmith Past in Charge."

Following are the first names entered on the membership roll:

James Howerton, Sarah Howerton, Nixon Evans (local deacon),
Clarissa Evans, Zachariah Henry, Nancy E. Lamb, Dunn Lamb, Axey
Lamb, Matilda Caywood, Daniel Dawson, Hester Dawson, Enos
Buckner, Julia Buckner, Enoch Ralston, Mary Ralston, Hannah
Evans, Eviline C. Dawson, Wm. Buckner, Elizabeth Buckner, Miles
Evans (Class Leader), Elizabeth Evans, Cinthea Arrowsmith, Sarah
Due, Leander Frost, Sarah Frost, A. W. Dix, John Spivey, Abigail
Spivey, Dianah Cooper, Susan Cooper, Sarah Bartlett.

Miss Sarah Bartlett, who will be 93 years old on December 8,
1941, is the only living member of the pioneer group who saw the
building of the Plymouth Methodist Episcopal church in 1860.

By 1861 the membership had grown to seventy-five, but during the
sixties the Civil War took its toll of the young men of the
church.  Opposite the names of Enoch Ralston, Joseph Smith,
Thomas Harris, J. W. Dawson, Joseph Due and Richard Ralston
appear the words "in the army", while the name of James K. Polk
carries the notation "exhorter in the army."

Among the names on the lists of 1877 to 1884 are Prevo Ralston,
(class leader), Ann McConn, Warren B. Evans, Mahala Ralston,
Sarah A. Willard, Pliny Draper, Catherine Draper, Tacy Dix, J. W.
M. Drake, Alice Evans, Daniel and Elizabeth Cooper.

The church was discontinued as a circuit point about 1909 or
1910.  It was last used in 1940 when it was opened for the
funeral of James Drake as he had requested. 

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