Henry County IL Archives History - Books .....Churches Of Henry County 1877
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Book Title: History Of Henry County, The

CHURCHES OF HENRY COUNTY.

HANNA TOWNSHIP.

    The first church organization in the Township of Hanna, also the first in
the county, was at the house of P. K. Hanna, in the Fall of 1835, where the
Methodist Society was organized. Rev. Colin D. James was the first pastor. Among
the active workers of the church were: John P. Hanna, C. Renshaw, James Searle,
Thomas Hill, William Shafer, as class leaders; P. K. Hanna, and Daniel Walsh, as
local preachers. And also Henry Hand, who deserves to be mentioned as one of the
most earnest supporters of the church.

    In 1854, the society built a brick church at a cost of three thousand
dollars, known as the "Rock River Chapel." This was used by the society until
the Fall of 1875, when they built a much finer church in the village of
Cleveland, at a cost of four thousand five hundred dollars. The board of
trustees are P. K. Hanna, Henry Hand, Thomas Hill, Will Shafer, J. H. Sale, J.
A. Sawyer, and Milton Hill. The present membership is eighty; Sabbath-school
attendance, one hundred. Rev. P. K. Hanna and wife, Geo. A. Colbert and wife,
Mrs. Sullivan and two daughters, were among the original members.

    The Evangelical Church was organized March 25, 1873, in school-house No. 7,
of Edford Township, in which place services had been held some time previous.
The original membership was twenty-three persons, among whom were the following:
Geo. Pobanz, Jno. Hintz, F. Pobanz, Wm. Pobanz, Jno. Neumann, Jno. Erdmann,
Julius Parpat, Carl Nitz. Their present church-building was erected at a cost of
$3,000, and is under the pastorate of Rev. Gustav A. Regier. The membership is
now sixty-two, and the Sunday-school fifteen.

CORNWALL TOWNSHIP.

    The Calvary Presbyterian Church of Rock River Presbytery, was organized Jan.
2, 1868, at 10 A. M., in the Methodist Episcopal Church, on the north line of
Burns Township. The organization was effected by the following committee of
Bureau Presbytery: Rev. J. C. Barr, Rev. J. Milligan, and Ruling Elders Alex.
White, Charles M. Priestly, Rev. J. S. McClung, and Moses Thatcher. Rev. J. C.
Barr preached a sermon from Isaiah xl., 31. John Fleming was at this meeting
elected, ordained and installed as Ruling Elder of the church. Their earliest
meetings were held in school-house No. 4, on Sec. 27.

    In 1870-71, a church was built on Sec. 27, N.W. corner of S.W.1/4, at a cost
of $3,500. Rev. J. S. McClung was stated supply of the church from the date of
its organization until March, 1871. The present pastor, Rev. F. I. Moffatt,
served the church as stated supply from October, 1871, up to Dec. 10, 1872, when
he was installed pastor, in which capacity he still officiates. The original
members were: H. S. Rogers, Mrs. Phoebe Rogers, W. W. Winters, Mrs. Virginia
Winters, Wm. Allen, Mrs. Margaret Allen, Thomas Rowland, Mrs. C. T. McClung,
Mrs. A. C. Torence, John Fleming, Mrs. Mary A. Fleming, Mrs. Sarah A. Calender,
A. E. Benedict, Mrs. Harriet T. Benedict, Gabriel Romig, James J. Dickey, Mrs.
Caroline E. Dickey, Isaac Callender, James Orr, Alexander Walker, W. H.
Torrence. The present membership is seventy-three; Sabbath-school attendance
about forty.

COLONA TOWNSHIP.

    United Presbyterian Church. The United Presbyterian Church of Colona was
organized Dec. 22, 1866, in the Colona school-house, with twelve members, and
were constituted a church by Rev. H. Wallace and Elder A. Blair, of Davenport,
Iowa, committee from Presbytery, and Rev. J. Todd, missionary, in accordance
with a petition drawn up by S. H. Weed, and signed by ten members and eighty
adherents of the cause. By request, the U. P. Presbytery of Rock Island sent
Rev. Henry Wallace, of Rock Island, to view the field, who preached in the
school-house the latter part of June, 1865; this was the second sermon preached
in the village of Colona. Two weeks later, Rev. William Cooke, of Homestead
Church, preached. Rev. J. F. Martin came as missionary Sept. 15, 1865, and was
succeeded by Rev. J. P. Finney, and he by Rev. S. H. Weed, Licentiate, July 15,
1866, and he by Rev. J. K. Blair, and Rev. John Todd. The earliest meetings were
held in the Colona school-house; meetings were also held in private houses. The
names of the original members are Andrew Stewart, Grace Moderwell, Christina
Moderwell, Jos. Moderwell, Jane Moderwell, James Montgomery, Sr., Sarah Bell,
William McGonagil, Sr., Elizabeth McGonagil, Mary Cochran, Barbara McFerran, and
Margaret McCall. Joseph Moderwell and Andrew Stewart were elected and ordained
ruling elders of the organization. Wm. McGonagil is at present a deacon.

    September 30, 1867, the congregation chose S. H. Weed, J. J. Baum, and James
Bell, building committee. A frame church, 32x50 feet, with belfry and spire, was
built, and was opened for worship Oct. 18, 1868. The cost was $2,108.88 in cash,
and about $1,000 in work and material was donated. April 3, 1873, a bell was
procured, costing $253.76.

    Rev. S. H. Weed, having been ordained Nov. 23, 1867, labored as a missionary
till June 15, 1869, when he was installed pastor, which office he held till
April 30, 1876. At present the congregation has no pastor, but is under the care
of Rev. J. A. Reynolds, of Rock Island, and Elders F. Ferguson and J. Caughey,
of Homestead Church, by appointment of the Presbytery.

    The total number of members is fifty-eight, two of whom died, three were
suspended, and thirty-two have removed, leaving at present twenty-one persons in
full membership, and fifty-four baptized non-communing members. The average
attendance at Sabbath-school is about forty. Capt. J. E. Wilkins, Rev. S. H.
Weed, James Bell, and Andrew Grass, have all been superintendents in the
Sabbath-school. Elder Jos. Davis has removed to Nebraska. Capt. J. E. Wilkins,
who served as deacon, has removed to Iowa.

EDFORD TOWNSHIP.

    The Church of God was organized Sept. 16, 1876, at the "Howard
School-house," where those interested in forming a church had been holding
services since the 8th of April, previous. Among the original members were W. T.
Harris and L. E. Harris. Preliminary steps have been taken for the erection of a
house of worship at an early day. The pastors have been W. R. Coovert and M. S.
Newbommer. They now have thirty-eight communicants, with an attendance of
thirty-five in Sunday-school.

    St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. The earliest meetings of this body
were held in the Central School-house in 1867, and the church organization was
effected the same year, with a membership of about a dozen persons. This has
been very materially augmented since, until they have gathered in about fifty
families. The church building was erected in 1872, at a cost of $2,500. The
present pastor is Rev. I. P. Guenther.

GRAND VIEW M. E. CHURCH.

    Grand View M. E. Church. Rev. Mr. Colbert organized the first class in 1842.
Among those who rendered valuable service to this church in its early history,
were the following: Revs. Philip Hannah, William McHenry and N. Smith, as local
preachers; and later, Rev. Zach Welch. Among the early pastors, Rev. Bart.
Cartwright, Revs. Harvey and Burr, Rev. H. J. Humphrey, Rev. G. W. Brown, Rev.
C. M. Wright, and Rev. Mr. Falkenbury.

    The later pastors were Revs. G. M. Morey, Ralph Kinney, A. C. Frick, M. D.
Heekard, J. W. Odell, J. J. Fluharty, C. M. Swartz, Lorin Webb, J. W. Megan,
Ahab Keller, G. C. Woodruff, and the present pastor, Rev. J. W. Otterman.

    The first organization worshiped for several years in the house of Mr. South
worth, and afterwards for many years in school-houses. The present church
edifice was erected in 1871, under the labors and direction of Rev. C. W. Swartz.

BISHOP HILL.

    Swedish M. E. Church. This church was organized in the Fall of 1864, with
about twenty members. The principal ones were Eric Bengtron, Jonas Engstrom,
Eric Soder, Jons Watstrom, George Erickson. The earliest meetings were held in
the Bishop Hill School-house, also in private houses. Soon after the
organization a wagon shop was purchased for $400; meetings were held in the
second story of this house, until 1868, and in that year the congregation
completed, ready for use, a ver\r commodious house of worship, at a cost of
$3,500. The following preachers have labored here: N. O. Westergreen, one year;
Peter Challman, one year; A. J. Anderson, four years; Eric Shogren, three years;
H. W. Eklund, one year; J. E. Bergren, three years.

    The congregation now have one hundred and eighty-four members, and a
Sabbath-school of eighty scholars. Jonas Engstrom, who acted as trustee in the
church in its early days, is preaching in Kansas, having emigrated with several
others from Bishop Hill to Kansas some years ago.

    The Lutheran Church, Opheim. This church is a branch of the Swedona Lutheran
Church, and has no regular organization of its own; Rev. A. Andreen preaches.

KEWANEE TOWNSHIP.

    German Evangelical Church, Kewanee Township. Until the erection of their
church edifice in 1866, the members of this congregation held their meetings for
divine service in the school-house on Section 28. They were organized here about
this time with twenty-eight members. Owing to a division in the church, and the
forming of another church near, the membership is now sixteen. The attendance at
Sunday-school is now twenty-seven.

    The following ministers have successively held the pastorate here: Revs.
Herman Lessner, G. F. Gruber, C. G. Haack, ____ Kilmer, ____ Rein, G. W. Regier
and ____ Hantel. The Rev. William Meyer, pastor of the church at Princeton,
Bureau County, is now [pastor in charge, preaching once a month.

YORKTOWN TOWNSHIP.

    Evangelical Association, section 27, Yorktown Township, was organized in
1851, at the house of Peter Luther, with seventeen members. They have increased
to one hundred and seventy-five, and a Sunday-school of two hundred scholars. In
1867 they erected a church edifice at a cost of S3,000. Their pastors since 1854
have been as follows: Revs. William Kolb, John Schneider, J. C. Anthus, J. C.
Spielman, John Dengel, R. Rothermund, A. Heilman, Joseph Schnee, M. Heyl, A.
Gockley, P. Himmel, E. Freeden, M. Heyl, V. Forkel, A. Goetschel, A. Woeher and
C. Gagstetter.

GALVA TOWNSHIP.

    Pleasant View Church. This church is located four miles northeast of the
Town of Galva, in Galva Township, and was built at a cost of $1,000; completed
and dedicated Nov. 26, 1876. The members first met for religious meetings at the
house of Daniel May, and were organized in the Fall of 1876, at the residence of
Geo. Huffman, about a quarter of a mile west of where the church now stands.

    Some of the original members were Daniel May, Geo. Huffman, R. D. Sprague.
R. J. Huffman, Mahaly Spragne, J.Wilson, Mason Huffman, Margaret Wilson, Nancy
Huffman, Hannah Huffman, Mary White, Lizza Huffman.

    There are at present seventeen members who are under the ministerial care of
Rev. Barnard Wagner. At present there is no Sabbath-school.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

THE HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY, ILLINOIS, ITS TAX-PAYERS AND VOTERS;
CONTAINING, ALSO, A BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY; A CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE STATE;
MAP OF THE COUNTY: A BUSINESS DIRECTORY: AN ABSTRACT OF EVERY-DAY LAWS; WAR
RECORD OF HENRY COUNTY; OFFICERS OF SOCIETIES, LODGES, ETC., ETC.

CHICAGO: H. F. KETT. & CO., 15 LAKESIDE BUILDING.

1877.


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