Hancock County, Illinois - Chapter 15: Religious Progress, 1880

The difficulty of obtaining reliable data in regard to religious work and Church organization among the new settlers of a country, will at once be seen to be very great. Many of the older pioneers who were most engaged in this work, have passed awaj', and people are not apt to keep a record of these things. Hence, from what we have been able to gather, we are indebted, first, to citizens in the various neighborhoods who have responded to our inquiries as well as their memories served them; and, secondly, to a few ministers, and officers of Churches, who have kindly given us statements from official records. But there has been great want of interest in this matter over the county. Numerous applications to officers and leading members of the various denominations have elicited no response; and thereby we have been compelled to rely alone upon such meager sources of information as we could otherwise control. If, then, some portions of the county should seem to be overlooked, or some denominations neglected, they may know where the blame belongs, and ask themselves, Have loe done our own duty in this matter?

At this day it may be impossible to state the date of the first religious services in the county. There having been settlers about the fort and along the river as early as 1824 and 1825, it might be supposed that religious observances were begun near those dates. "We can hear of none, however, until two or three years after organization of the county. Peter "Williams, who seems to have been a very early settler along the river, we have heard mentioned as a " preacher on his own hook;" and that we take to mean that he was subordinate to no Church or religious organization, and that he preached wlien he felt like it. At how early a date this feeling influenced him is not known. It is fair to presume, too, that most of the earlier preachers and exhorters were similarly circumstanced with Mr. "Williams in that regard, being remote from Church organizations and authorities. Social worship was a matter of spontaneous work. The exhorter would send word around a given neighborhood that he would preach on such a day (usually Sunday afternoon) at a certain point; and the few who were so fortunate as to have received the notice would attend. These meetings were first held in some grove or shady nook, perha]is on the bank of the river; and there, standing around or sitting on the grass, the hardy and sun-browned pioneer, with wife and children, would listen to the i;npretentions, but often impassioned and eloquent, sermon, and (433) sing the hymns given ont with earnest, if not melodious, voices. And from these groves doubtless there ascended to heaven as acceptable worship as ever went up from the costliest and most splendid temple in the land. The groves were practically the first temples among the pioneers.

No deep-toned bell sounded to call the worshipers together; no stately carriage drew them to the place; no rustling silks or shining jewels, or "love of a bonnet," or six-buttoned gloves, or patent-leather boots, or soft beaver, adorned the persons of the wealthiest iu the congregation. An ox-wagon, perhaps a cart drawn by one pony; or on horseback, with wife on pillion behind, - or more frequently on foot, and often barefoot, - was the common way of "going to church" in those primitive days. And the minister's salary - ah ! he had nowhere but to heaven to look for his reward.

After these grove meetings, and frequently coeval with them, came the services at the log cabins of the pioneers. Still later, services were held and Sabbath-schools instituted, in rude logcabin scb.ool-honses, that gradually appeared here and there in the more populous settlements. Later still, a plain building without cupola or spire or bell would be erected, sometimes to be used by two or three denominations, but oftener exclusively for the use of one. To-day every town and village has its one, two or more handsome church edifices, and almost every ueighborliood in every township, its frame or brick house of worship for the various Christian denominations, many of them with settled pastors, regular worship and well-appointed Sunday-schools.

Besides Mr. Williams, the earliest of these ministers and elders we can mention as being engaged in religious work in various parts of the county, are the following: Rev. Charles Robison, residing on the rapids; Elders Joseph Ilatchettand Samuel Knox, at Green Plains; Rev. Wm. McCoy, Rev. Peter Boven, Revs. Van Horn and Ralston, Rev. Henry Summers and the famous Peter Cartwright, in the southeast; and Elders John Logan, Thos. H. Owen and Bradley, along the east line. About 1S33, Rev. John Lawton, of New Hampshire, a Congregational minister, was sent out to Carthage by the Home Missionary Society, and he preached and assisted in organizing Churches in difterent parts of the county.