Caldwell County MO Archives History .....WORK OF REV. GEO. G. PERKINS EARLY CONGREGATIONAL PASTOR  
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Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 8, 2008, 4:33 pm

		
		THE WORK OF REV. GEO. G. PERKINS EARLY CONGREGATIONAL PASTOR 
AT HAMILTON AND KIDDER
	Narrator:  M. Whitelaw of Kidder

     One of the remarkable early preachers in Hamilton and Kidder was George 
G. Perkins of the Congregational church.  He served in the 60s and 70s.  Miss 
Whitelaw furnished notes taken from letters written by Mr. Perkins.  
     In June 1866, after 4 days of rail travel, Mr. Perkins, wife and five 
children came to Kidder from Mass. as a minister of the Board of Home 
Missions, with is expenses partly paid by that board also his salary.  Kidder 
congregation was to do the rest.  The Kidder land co., then yet active, gave 
him a home, promoted by the local agent, E. Allen who was a 
Congregationalist.  The early Congregationalists at Kidder were a choice band 
of Easterners brought on by the Kidder Land co., itself of New England men.  
The first services were in the Perkins home then in the school house and no 
church building was made during his stay of three years, they used the school 
house.  Then the congregation became too large for the schoolhouse and so for 
the benefit of the church an addition was made to the school so that it might 
seat 150.  The Sunday school was also held there.  In fact, the Congregational 
church was the only one which held regular services and Sunday school in that 
locality.  After other churches were organized, the Congregational church fell 
off in attendance, for people went to their own churches.  But in his time 
there, the Congregational church was the center of the village life.  The 
membership grew from the original 7 to 75 members.  He saw the start being 
made for Thayer college.  The people had hired Rev. S.D. Cochran for president 
of the college and also local pastor, a combination which Mr. Perkins did not 
desire.  The fact that the Kidder Congregationalists used the school house and 
later the chapel out at Thayer college made that sect later than others in 
building a church house.  He often spoke of the small number of funerals in 
the new country, and the large number of weddings.  His first wedding was that 
of a Cameron minister.  At that time, there were Congregational churches at 
Cameron and Kingston.  The school room was decorated with pictures of Union 
heroes when in 1867 or 68, he preached the first Memorial service ever held in 
Kidder for the Patriotic dead.  It all came about because a strange traveler, 
having lost his way died and was buried there.  He was of the navy and in 
decorating his grave, they also decorated the few soldiers' graves there.
     In marrying and burying, he was often called all over the county.  He 
came to Hamilton thus.  He began to preach at Hamilton often to the small 
group of Congregationalists there.  This church was organized 1867 by Rev. 
Wilmot, who was an ex-M.E. preacher.  The people had been meeting in his home 
for services, but he had quit his work with them before Mr. Perkins went 
there.  As a visiting pastor, Mr. Perkins preached in Low's Hall till the 
first church was built.
     He first lived in a house not far from the M.E. Church but finally bought 
a home in the N.E. part of town.  He used to tell his church membership how 
nice it was to have services in a real church and not a school or a hall.  He 
recalled these old members at Hamilton:  Goodnows, Chandlers, Morton, 
Prentice, Clark, Low, Foster, Gove, Ressigeau, Markham, Smiley, Moore, 
Tuthills, Holmes, Gee, and Tattershall.  Some of these families came into the 
church as a result of special revival meetings, held the first year.  Some 
came from the east in that faith.  There was more or less of a church change 
in membership due to the newness of the town, for some of the town's 
population did not stay.
     He always said he was thankful that Prof. David Ferguson came to town and 
organized the high school, because he had two girls under his influence.  
During his stay at Hamilton, Mr. Perkins also gave some time to the 
Congregational church at Gallatin, and in his last year at Hamilton, he also 
served the 

 
congregation at Breckenridge.  He will long be remembered as a powerful 
formative influence in the history of early congregationalism in Caldwell 
county.
     Interview  1932.


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