Madison County, Illinois - Chapter 45: Pioneer Churches of the County, 1912

First Camp Meeting - First Protestant Minister - Presbyterian Churches - Upper Al¬ ton- Methodists - Pioneer M. E. Church of Edwardsville - Alton Churches - Wanda - St. Paul's Episcopal of Alton - Alton German Evangelical - Church of the Re¬ deemer - The A. M. E. and Union Baptist - German Methodists - Presbyterian Churches - Early Baptist Churches in County - Unitarian Church of Alton - Church of Christ (Christian) - Protestant Episcopal Churches - Cumberland Pres¬ byterian Churches - Liberty Prairie and Omphghent - The Catholic Church in Madison County - Number of Churches in County.

[Authorities - In the preparation of this chapter we are indebted to the chapters on the Methodist Episcopal church, by Hon. E. M. West, and to that on the Baptist denomination, by Rev. Dr. J. Bulkley, both in "Brink's His¬ tory of Madison County," especially for data as to the time of organization of churches and names of charter members or officials. Also to Rev. Dr. A. T. Norton's "History of the Presbyterian Church in Illinois," and to Rev. J. B. Logan's "History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Illinois." Likewise to numerous pamphlets, and to sketches in Alton Telegraph, to which we have had access. To mention, in detail, all the churches now exist¬ ing would be an impossible task in the space allotted - hence special mention has been con¬ fined to the pioneer churches still in existence, leaving those of more recent date to later writers.]

The first camp meeting held in what is now Madison county was held near the residence of Thomas Good, three miles south of Ed¬ wardsville, in the spring of 1807. It was under direction of Bishop William McKendree, then presiding elder of circuits covering several western states and territories. The meeting was in charge of Rev. Jesse Walker. He was the founder of the Methodist church in Illinois and the first presiding elder of the Illinois district. He was born in Virginia in 1796. After laboring some years in this and neighboring counties he removed to Plainfield, then known as Walker's Grove. He died in 1835. On September 29, 1911, a monument was erected to his memory at Plainfield under the joint auspices of the M. E. church North and South. The old Bethel church in Madison and Shiloh church in St. Clair were the two earliest Methodist churches in Illinois. As early as 1803 Methodist itinerants began la¬ boring in the county, riding from one isolated settlement to another, holding services about once a month. Josias Randle, for many years clerk of the court, was one of the pioneer preachers. Thomas Randle, Samuel H. Thompson, John Dew and Nathaniel Pinckard were early Methodist preachers. The lastnamed spent his declining years in Upper Al¬ ton. He was the father of William G. Pinck¬ ard, one of the earliest residents of Alton.

The first Protestant minister to enter Illi¬ nois was Rev. James Smith, a Baptist. He came from Kentucky in 1787, and, later, in fellowship with David Bagley and James Chance, founded the first Baptist church at New Design. A Baptist church was built of logs in section 24, township 5, range 9, about two miles south of Bethalto, in 1809 Rev. William Jones, who later served in the legis¬ lature, was the first minister who held service there. Other early Baptist preachers were Rev. Thos. Ray, Rev. Benjamin Young and Rev. Thos. Oglesby, the last-named preaching in the county as early as 1804. The famous Rev. Peter Cartwright also preached frequent¬ ly in the county, though a non-resident. Rev. John M. Peck, the celebrated missionary, or¬ ganizer and author, came in 1822 and was a co-laborer with Rev. Jonathan Goings. Dr. Peck, although a resident of St. Clair, labored much in Madison and at one time published the Pioneer and Baptist Standard Bearer at Alton. Mr. John Leverett, of Upper Alton, has a number of letters written to his father, Prof. Warren Leverett, by Dr. Peck in the early thirties. He had worthy successors in the persons of Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers, Rev. Washington Leverett, Rev. Alvin Bailey, Rev. Dr. J. Bulkley and others.

The oldest Presbyterian church in Illinois was founded at Sharon in White county in 1816. Next came Shoal Creek in Bond county, March 10, 1819; Edwardsville, five days later, March 15, 1819; Golconda, Pope county, March 24, 1819; Alton, June 8, 1821 ; Collinsville, May 10, 1823. The Collinsville church has been in continuous existence ever since, a longer period than any other Presby- terian chur.ch in the county. The church, from its formation until 1843, worshiped in a house erected in 1818, the first frame meet¬ ing house in Illinois. The first Edwardsville church died in 1833 of inanition. The second Presbyterian church there was organized in the winter of 1837-38. It survived until 1859. Since then it has been twice revived and is now in a flourishing condition. The first Al¬ ton Presbyterian church survived until 1826, when it was incorporated with that at Ed¬ wardsville in consequence of the removal of all the members but two. The second church was organized June 9, 1831, and is still in ex¬ istence. The Sugar Creek church was organ¬ ized June 14, 1829. It was located in the southeast corner of the county. The first house of worship, erected in 1831, was a log building. Each man furnished his own logs and each family its own slab seat. The build¬ ing had only one window. All the money laid out was for the window. The second house was a frame building erected in 1843. The third house, erected in 1877, is over the line in Clinton county and is quite a pretentious edifice.

Another pioneer Presbyterian church is that of Marine, organized November 2, 1833, with sixteen members, mainly belonging to the fa¬ mous Marine colony, which is spoken of else¬ where. The Presbyterian church at Troy was organized October 2, 1842. It was the first church organization in the place. The first house of worship was a neat frame, 24x30 feet. The next meeting house was built of brick and cost $10,000. It was dedicated May 3, 1872, the 74th birthday anniversary of the pastor, Rev. Robert Stewart.

The Presbyterian church of Rattan's Prai¬ rie, now Moro, was organized December 9, 1848, by Revs. Valentine Pentzer and P. D. Young. It has had but one house of worship, built in 1853, and is still standing. St. John's German Presbyterian church was organized at Ridgeley in 1861 and subsequently passed into another connection. Zion (German) Presbyterian church was organized at Foster¬ burg October 12, 1857, by Revs. C. Schiable and H. Blanke, with twenty members. It is still in existence.

The oldest church organization in the Altons is the Methodist of Upper Alton. In 1817, a year after the town was laid out, a class of six persons was formed under the ministrations of Rev. S. H. Thompson. They were Ebenezer and Mary Hodges, Jonathan and Delilah Browne and John Seely. This was the nucleus of the present large and flour¬ ishing society. The society met for several years in private houses, but in 1835 a church was built, which was occupied until 1849, when a new brick church was built, princi¬ pally by the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Clawson. It was called Wesley chapel. This building still stands in a good state of preser¬ vation, but a movement is now on foot to erect a new edifice to meet the needs of an in¬ creasing congregation. This church, during the ninety-five years of its existence, has made a noble record and been served by many pas¬ tors who have ranked high in the annals of the church in Illinois.

According to that eminent layman, the late Hon. E. M. West, "the first Methodist church in Illinois territory was built in 1805 on land owned by Thomas Good, 2 miles southwest of where Edwardsville now stands. It was called Bethel and was the largest religious society in the county. By the year 1813, the Goshen settlement was increased by a large number of Methodist families who united with the Methodist church. Between 1805 and 1812 there was a large increase in the number of Methodist societies in the county. Among the leaders was William Otwell, a patriot, soldier and statesman. He served several terms in the legislature and died at his home in this county in 1844. Rev. S. H. Thompson, from 1809 to 1834, was the great field marshal of Methodism in Illinois. Gen. Jackson, in the last-named year, appointed him register of the land office in Edwardsville, but he con¬ tinued his ministrations on the Sabbath until his death in 1841 at his home in Edwards¬ ville."

In 1813 a Methodist society was organized in Troy in the house of John Jarvis. Subse¬ quently the society constructed a small frame building called Gilead, on section 14, near the residence of Rev. Jesse Renfro, an efficient local and circuit preacher. In 1876 the so¬ ciety transferred its membership to Troy. In 1864 the society erected the Jubilee church and in 1870 built a large and handsome brick edifice under the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Van Winkle. It was dedicated, in his old age, by the Rev. Peter Cartwright, and was that fa¬ mous preacher's last public service.

A church society of note, which has en¬ joyed a continuous existence of eighty-five years, with three successive church edifices on the same site, is St. John's M. E. church of Edwardsville. It dates back two years earlier than the Alton church of that denomi¬ nation. It was organized when Rev. John Hogan was on the circuit. In December, 1827, a society of twenty-one members was formed with Rev. Richard Randle as class leader. Within a few months the membership in¬ creased to forty, the majority of them leading and prominent citizens. In 1829 the society built a church, a frame structure, 40 by 60 feet, on the same site as the present house of worship. This was replaced by a brick edifice in 1853. When the original church was built in 1829 the trustees were: W. P. McKee, Alexander Miller, William Otwell, W. C. Ballard, Richard Randle, Barton Randle and Joel Neff. Rev. William S. Deneen was the first M. E. minister stationed in Edwards- ville. His son, Samuel H. Deneen, became a professor in McKendree college. His daugh¬ ter married Hon. A. W. Metcalf. The grand¬ son of this pioneer preacher is Hon. Charles S. Deneen, governor of Illinois, who was born in Edwardsville. This church is a link be¬ tween the present and the past, and on its rolls are inscribed the names of many citizens who served well their generation in the social, civic and official life of the county - and its many successive pastors have been men of power in directing the religious aspirations of the community. The present pastor, Rev. J. W. McNeill, is an honored leader in the clerical ranks of his denomination.

The Alton Presbyterian church (the first) was organized June 9, 1821, by Rev. Edward Hollister and Rev. Daniel Gould, members of the Connecticut Missionary Society. Mr. Hollister's son, Capt. Edward Hollister, was subsequently an elder of this church. The senior Hollister's grandson, Edgar Hollister, is now an elder of same church. The church was organized with these members : Mr. and Mrs. Enoch Long, Isaac Waters, Henry H. Snow, Edward Hastings, Abigail Waters, Lavinia Bishop and Brittania Brown. The lastnamed was the wife of Dr. Erastus Brown and a sister of Col. Rufus Easton, the founder of Alton. The church existed for nearly five years and then, in consequence of the removal of all its members but Mr. and Mrs. Long, it was consolidated with the Edwardsville church. The first church was organized in a log school house in Upper Alton. This church never had any regular pastor, but was supplied during its brief existence by mis¬ sionaries and itinerants. The second organi¬ zation, which still exists, was formed by Rev. Thos. Lippincott, June 9, 1831. The original members were : Mr. and Mrs. Enoch Long, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. A. Robertson, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Thurston, Mrs. Mary A. Tolman and Geo. W. Fuller. The church was organ¬ ized at the home of Deacon Enoch Long, cor¬ ner of Main street and College avenue, on the site of the present residence of Dr. H. T. Burnap. The public services were held in the Upper Alton brick school house. The next place of worship was in Alton in a frame building on Second street, between Market and Alby. The building is still standing and is owned by the estate of Capt. Simeon Ryder. The next building occupied was Lyceum Hall, northeast corner of Second and Alby streets. This building was burned July 30, 1874, but rebuilt on same foundations. The third place of worship was a church built by Capt. God¬ frey and deeded by him to Monticello Sem¬ inary. It was sold to the Episcopalians in 1845. The congregation next occupied a small frame building on the northeast corner of Third and Alby streets. This occupancy was temporary, awaiting the completion of the brick church, corner of Second and Market streets, in 1846. This building, with various additions, was occupied for fifty years, when the congregation removed, erected a hand¬ some stone church, corner of Fourth and Alby, which, with parsonage adjoining, cost $30,000. The corner stone was laid July 8, 1897. The pastors of the church have been: Rev. Thos. Lippincott, until June, 1832; Rev. Elisha Jenney, until April, 1835 ; Rev. F. W. Graves, from June, 1835, until November, 1838; Rev. A. T. Norton, D. D., from March, 1839, to June, 1858; Rev. Dr. C. H. Taylor, from July, 1858, to March, 1868; Rev. Dr. C. S. Arm¬ strong, from April, 1869, to April, 1880; Rev. Dr. Thos. Gordon, September, 1881, to June, 1886; Rev. Dr. A. T. Wolff, from December, 1886, to June, 1891 ; Rev. Geo. W. Smith, Ph. D., to December, 1896; Rev. H. K. Sanborne, from March, 1897, to March, 1905; Rev. Dr. A. G. Lane, from January, 1906, to the present time. In 1885 the church estab¬ lished a mission school and chapel at North

In December, 1836, Elder Long and nine¬ teen others were dismissed to organize the Upper Alton Presbyterian church. In 1870 thirty-two members and, later, sixteen others, were dismissed, to organize the Church of the Redeemer (Congregational), corner of Henry and Sixth streets. The Upper Alton Presby¬ terian church was organized January 8, 1837, by Revs. F. W. Graves, T. B. Hurlbut and Thos. Lippincott. Its pulpit was supplied by Rev. E. P. Lovejoy, the martyr, until his tragic death November 7 of same year. At an adjourned meeting of Alton Presbytery, held November 15 following, Rev. Chas. G. Selleck was installed pastor of the church. Appropriate resolutions were adopted on the death of Mr. Lovejoy, concluding with the following, which has proved prophetic: "That we have entire confidence in the truth and final triumph of those principles of the free¬ dom of speech, freedom of the press and free¬ dom of the slave, in defense of which he lost his life."

I. Root, Robert Rudd, John Huston, S. B. Taggart, C. M. Brown, D. M. Hazlett, W. H. Bradley. The last-named remained pastor for twenty years. The present pastor, Rev. Charles N. McManis, began his labors in June, 1911. The first church building was erected in 1837 and occupied the same site as the present one. The lot on which it stood was donated by Deacon Enoch Long. It was de¬ stroyed by fire on February 10, 1858. The present building of frame was commenced soon after, but not finally finished and dedi¬ cated until November 15, 1865. The church has had many vicissitudes, owing to the fluc¬ tuating character of the population, but is now in a prosperous condition.

The First Baptist church of Upper Alton was organized April 25, 1830, by Rev. John M. Peck. The original members were : Ephraim Marsh, D. A. Spaulding, Winston Cheotan, Henry Evans, Jas. D. Marsh, Frances Marsh, Juliet A. Spaulding and Rachel Garrett. In 1833-4 there were forty members, thirteen of which were dismissed to unite with others in establishing the First Baptist church of Lower Alton. At various times, later on, other mem¬ bers were dismissed to establish branches in outlying districts. For over two years after organization the meetings were held in the log school house on Main street, later in the brick school house, corner of what is now Clawson and Edwards streets. Next in what is now the old library building of Shurtleff college, still standing. In 1836, through the efforts of the pastor, Rev. E. Rodgers, the erection of a stone church was begun at the corner of College avenue and Seminary street. This building was dedicated in 1837 and stood until 1869, when the present spacious build¬ ing on the opposite (west) corner was erected at a cost, including furnishings, of some $20,- 000. The pulpit of this church has been filled by many noted preachers, including Rev. E. Rodgers, J. E. Tolman, John N. Tolman, Jus¬ tus Bulkley, E. C. Mitchell, R. E. Pattison, N. M. Wood, J. M. Stifler and the presidents and professors of Shurtleff college. At the present time Rev. M. H. Day is ably carrying forward the work and influence of this his¬ toric church, which has sent out its mission¬ aries and teachers literally to the ends of the earth.

The First Methodist church of Alton is another historic organization. The society was established in 1829 and had regular ap¬ pointments of pastors from 1833. Later on another church was formed in Middletown with a building on what is now Tremont street. The celebrated Mr. Milburn, the "blind preacher," and later chaplain of con¬ gress, was, in early life, one of its pastors.

The meetings of the Alton society were at first held in Lyceum Hall ; next in a building cor¬ ner of Alby and Third streets. This building was bought by W. G. Pinckard and Rev. J. Hogan, with intention of presenting it to the church, but the financial panic of 1837-8 pre¬ vented them from carrying out their plan and the congregation lost possession in 1841. A year later they were presented with a lot on the corner of Fourth and Belle streets by J. T. Hudson, president of Alton's board of trustees in 1833, and the town's first lawyer, upon which they erected a building and later a parsonage adjoining. These were destroyed by fire in 1857. They then erected a large brick church and parsonage on lots on the corner of Sixth and Market streets purchased from Rev. A. T. Norton. This edifice stood until 1905, when it was replaced by the pres¬ ent splendid and commodious structure, cost¬ ing nearly $40,000. For some time, in the early days, the three M. E. churches of Alton, Middletown and Upper Alton were served by one pastor. The Middletown church final¬ ly became extinct, or was merged with the other two. The pastors, dating from 1833, include many able men who have been prom¬ inent in the church throughout southern Illi¬ nois. One of the most notable of these is the Rev. Dr. J. A. Scarritt, of Alton, now 84 years old and retired from active service, but still preaching, on occasions, with his oldtime power and eloquence. His long life has been spent in the service of the church. He has filled many pastorates and held the office of presiding elder. The first pastor of the church was A. E. Phelps, in 1833. The pres¬ ent pastor is Rev. Dr. W. T. Cline, who was assigned to Alton in 1909- Under his min¬ istry, during the winter of 1912, occurred the most general revival known in the history of the church, the conversions numbering over 250 and the good work extended to other churches under the efforts of the "Men and Religion Forward Movement,' which exerted a wide influence in the Altons during the same winter. On June 16, 1912, the church celebrated its 83d anniversary. The occasion was made memorable by the presence of Bishop Quayle, and the raising of $10,500 towards the extinguishing of the church debt of $12,- 000. Of this Mrs. H. C. Priest gave $2,000 and J. E. Kelsey $1,000. Mrs. Priest had previously given some $18,000 towards the new edifice.

The First Baptist church of Alton was or¬ ganized March 10, 1833, Rev. John M. Peck assisting in the services. Rev. Alvin Bailey was the first pastor. The society met, orig¬ inally, in Lyceum Hall and later in the stone church on Market street, alternating in both buildings with the Presbyterians. A new edi¬ fice was erected in 1840 at the corner of Sec¬ ond and Easton streets, a large stone building with basement. It was destroyed by fire in i860. The second pastor was Rev. E. Rodg¬ ers, father of Col. A. F. and Edward Rodgers. He was succeeded in 1836 by Rev. Dwight Ives; Rev. G. B. Perry, 1841; Rev. Chas. Hackett, 1845; Rev. R. F. Ellis, 1847; Rev. R. R. Coon, 1855 ; these years being the be¬ ginning of their pastorates. Rev. Dr. M. Jameson began his pastorate in i860, contin¬ uing until 1869, when he resigned to enter the mission field in Burmah. Under his pas¬ torate a new church was built at the corner of Fifth and Market streets. He was succeeded by Rev. N. Butler in 1870 and he by Rev. T. G. Field in 1873. His successor was Rev. Dr. L. A. Abbott, who served from 1879 to 1896. The present pastor, Rev. Dr. M. W. Twing, succeeded him and still serves the church most acceptably. Under his pastorate the present beautiful edifice was erected in 1900, on the site of the old one, at a cost of $26,000. The church has maintained several missions, the most important of which was the Hunterstown Baptist mission which has developed into the Cherry Street Baptist church. This church has a large membership and is now under the pastoral charge of Rev. S. D. McKenney. It also maintains a mis¬ sion chapel on State street. No church in Alton has a nobler record than this of evange¬ listic and missionary service continued for seventy-nine years.

One of the first organizations of the M. E. church in the county was at Wanda. Ryderus C. Gillham was a charter member when the society was first organized in 1809 by author¬ ity of the western conference held that year in Cincinnati. Services were held at private houses until 1812, when Mr. Gillham and his neighbors built the first church at Old Salem. In 1838 the same gentleman and his neigh¬ bors laid out the camp grounds adjacent to the church. An interesting sketch of these enterprises will be found in the biography of the Gillham family in second volume of this work. There also will be found an entertain¬ ing account of primitive conditions in Madi¬ son county : churches, schools, agricultural implements, with methods of culture, charcoal pits for powder-making, sugar camps, etc.

St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church was organized in 1836 with six members, Rev. Mr. dePuy serving as first rector. Another ac¬ count says it received parochial organization in 1838, Rev. Dr. S. Y. McMasters being the first rector. In 1843 the building and grounds at the corner of Third and Market streets were purchased from Benjamin Godfrey. In 1850 the building was razed and the present edifice erected on the same site at a cost of $13,000. It was consecrated July 5, 1857, by Bishop Whitehouse. Following Dr. McMas¬ ters as rectors were Revs. C. A. Bruce, John Foster, Dr. McCullough, C. S. Abbott, M. Chase, Thomas Haskins, E. L. S. Taylor, H. E. Chittenden. The present rector is Rev. Arthur Goodger. Among the old time wardens and vestrymen were: Judge John Bailhache, Col. S. H. Long, Chas. Trumbull, Utten Smith, S. R. Dolbes, M. M. Dutro, Harry Taylor, T. W. Radclifife, Joseph Gratian, Wil¬ liam Huskinson, Thomas Cannell, all now de¬ ceased. The great tornado of June, i860, tore off the tower and damaged the building to the extent of $5,000. In 1870 Trinity chapel, a branch of this church, was built in the North Alton section of the city at a cost of $2,000. The church also has a handsome rectory ad¬ joining the house of worship.

The first services of the Episcopal church in this county are said to have been held by Rev. Amos Baldwin, who came to Alton and Edwardsville in 1823.

The record of this congregation goes back to the year 1847, when the members of this church would gather, at irregular intervals, at private houses for worship, which was con¬ ducted mostly by visiting ministers, especially from St. Louis. The official record shows that the church had been fully organized in 1851 with fifty voting members. The trustees at that time were Philip Maurer, Henry Neinhaus and Philip Wenzel; the pastor, Rev. G. A. Detharding. In a meeting of this year it was decided to build a church of their own. A committee was elected, consisting of M. Jaeckel, G. H. Weiglerand, August Rosenberg, to select a site. They chose the fine property at the corner of Eighth and Henry streets, where the first church was built in 1852. The original building was lately razed and the present spacious edifice erected in 1904. With an addition just completed, it has the largest seating capacity of any church in Alton. A large number of distinguished men have served as pastors of this church, and its mem¬ bers have included many of the leading Ger¬ man families of Alton. Rev. E. L. Mueller is the present efficient pastor. The church has been a great power for good in the sixty-five

The Church of the Redeemer (Congrega¬ tional) may properly be classed among the pio¬ neer churches of Alton from the fact that the majority of its charter members included many of the oldest members of the First Presbyte¬ rian church, from which they were dismissed to form the new organization. It was organ¬ ized at the home of Capt. F. L. Lewis in 1870. It was combined with the Mission Sun¬ day school work on Henry street and occu¬ pied at first the building there erected. The congregation now worships in a costly mod¬ ern edifice erected on the site of the original building. Rev. M. K. Whittlesey was the first pastor of the new church. He was suc¬ ceeded in order by Rev. Robert West, Rev. George C. Adams, Rev. E. G. Chaddock, Rev. H. S. Wills, Rev. C. C. Warner, Rev. J. H. J. Rice, Rev. A. A. Tanner and the present pas¬ tor, Rev. D. R. Martin. The church has num¬ bered many influential citizens among its members and officials, including such men as the Hon. Samuel Wade, its most generous donor at its inception; James Newman, John Atwood, Albert Wade, all deceased, and Mr. M. H. Boals, who still survives in an honored

The colored people of Alton maintain three churches. One of them, the Union Baptist, dates back to 1836. Rev. Mr. Mason is its present pastor. This church was organized at the home of Charles Edwards in Upper Alton by Rev. E. Rodgers, with ten members. It occupied various houses in Alton for several years, finally locating in a neat building, cor¬ ner of George and Seventh streets. The con¬ gregation now worships in a fine brick edi¬ fice on the same site. Mr. I. H. Kelley has been one of its leading officials for many years. It has had a long succession of pastors, the first of whom seems to have been Rev. Mr. Livingstone.

The Alton A. M. E. church was organized in 1839 by William Paul Quinn. The orig¬ inal members were William and Jane Barton, Loudon and Jane Parks, Shadrach Stewart, Thomas and Eliza Ellsworth. They met for several years in various places. The first building owned by the society was a small brick house on Third street, near Vine. In 1867 the society purchased a lot on same street, between Henry and Ridge and erected a brick building costing between $4,000 and $5,000. It was built under the pastorate of Rev. H. dePugh. A debt of $2,500 was in¬ curred, which was long a burden, but was finally put in process of extinction by the generosity of the creditor, William Eliot Smith, who remitted a large amount of the indebtedness. During the spring of 1912, the church building was remodeled and improved to such an extent that a second corner stone laying took place with elaborate ceremonies by Knights and Daughters of Tabor, of East St. Louis, and a program of addresses. The cost of the improvements was $2,500.

The Highland German Methodist Episco¬ pal church was organized in 1846. The first pastor was the Rev. Charles Koeneke. He was succeeded by Rev. Louis Kunz and he by Rev. William Fiegenbaum. During his pas¬ torate, in 1848, the first church was erected. In 1849 cholera broke out in Highland, eight or ten persons dying daily. Mr. biegenbaum spent his time during the epidemic in hero¬ ically nursing the sick and ministering to the dying. He was later very successful in build¬ ing up the denomination in the county. He

The missionary labors of the German Meth¬ odists did not begin in Edwardsville until 1847, and the society did not hold regular services until 1855. Rev. William Koeneke was the first resident pastor.

The German M. E. church of Alton dates back to 1845, when Rev. Louis Kunz, of Fos¬ terburg, first held services in that city, meeting in the American M. E. church. A regular organization was not effected until 1852. The first members were J. H. Appel, V. and J. Miller, and J. Wiand. The first church was built at Walnut and Third streets in 1854, under the pastorate of Rev. Jacob Miller. A few years later it was exchanged for a church building on Union street. The latter building was destroyed by fire in 1880 and the society then erected a handsome edifice on the corner of Seventh and Henry streets, which with the parsonage adjoining cost $12,500. This was accomplished largely by the efficient labors of Elder J. J. Helmes, and Trustees Henry F. Lehne, J. Lorch, R. Bierbaum, Louis Unger and R. W. Bilderbeck.

The Collinsville Presbyterian church was organized May 3, 1823, with these members: William, Esther, Augustus, Elizabeth B., Eliza, Almira and Frederick Collins; Oriel and Su¬ san Wilcox, Horace and Emma C. Look. It is spoken of more particularly in the sketch of Collinsville township.

Marine Presbyterian church was organized November 21, 1834. For the next six years Revs. Roswell Brooks, Robt. Blake and Thos. Lippincott supplied the pulpit, followed by Rev. Jas. R. Dunn. The original members were James Breath, Elizabeth Breath, George C. Allen, Mary Allen, Jas. M. Nichols, Eliza¬ beth Nichols, Geo. W. Walsh, John R. Kerr,

William Anderson, Emma A. Anderson, Ger¬ trude Anderson, Z. Barker, George Foster, Hannah N. Foster, Rebecca M. Breath and Mary A. Breath. Alvin Butler and Lewis Potter were the mainstays of the church for many years.

The Church of Christ in Monticello was or¬ ganized November 2, 1839, Rev. Theron Bald¬ win presiding, who was installed first pastor by order of Presbytery, Rev. A. T. Norton preaching the sermon.

The first Baptist church in Madison county was organized at Wood River May 3, 1807, by Rev. David Badgley and William Jones. It was one of five churches that formed the first Baptist association, called the "Illinois Union." In 1809 the association met with the Wood River church. The first Saturday in July, 1816, the church purchased ij4 acres of land where the meeting house and cemetery were located, from Joseph Vaughn, for $7.50, and Vaughn donated Y2 acre and twenty rods. This is where the victims of the Wood River massacre were buried and is still known as the Vaughn cemetery.

The first Baptist church of Edwardsville was organized April 18, 1828, at the residence of Dr. B. F. Edwards, subsequently the home °f Judge Joseph Gillespie. The original mem¬ bers were Dr. Edwards and wife, Rev. Thos. Ray and wife, Jacob Gonterman and wife, Eliza A. Fall, later Eliza A. Adams, of Alton. Among the prominent members, a little later,

The Baptist church of Troy was organized in 1833 by Joseph and James Lemen, with fifteen members. The organization took place at the home of John* Lindley, near Silver creek. It was called "The Union Baptist Church of Christ and Friends of Humanity." The latter part of the title was because of its

The Mount Olive Baptist church was or¬ ganized May 31, 1851, by Elders John and J. V. Rhoads. The former was the first pas¬ tor, and the first two deacons were Madison Williams and Richard Young.

The Bethlehem United Baptist church was constituted August 17, 1849, by Elders J. V. Rhoads and R. C. Keele, with twenty-one members. It was situated south of Bethalto. It soon became a strong and flourishing so¬ ciety. Its first building was erected in 1851. Its first pastor was Rev. R. C. Keele, fol¬ lowed by Rev. John Brown for eleven years. He was succeeded by Rev. John R. Jones, grandson of Rev. William Jones. Its mem¬ bership at one time exceeded 150.

The German Baptist church of Fosterburg was organized in 1857, with fifteen members. Rev. Carl Schobs was the first pastor. He was succeeded by Rev. Henry Williams, Sr.

The Pleasant Ridge Baptist church, located near St. Jacob, was constituted prior to 1844, with twenty-five members. Its first pastor was Rev. Joseph Lemen.

In 1836 or '37 a Baptist church was con¬ stituted at Paddock's Prairie, with nine mem¬ bers. Zenas Webster and Elihu J. Palmer, brother of Gov. Palmer, were its first dele¬ gates. Mr. Palmer was ordained by this church August 24, 1840, and became its pastor.

In 1849 the Baptist church at Rattan's Prairie was constituted, with thirteen mem¬ bers. Its pastor was Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers and its delegate, Luther Lyon. It dissolved in 1851.

The Providence Baptist church was consti¬ tuted by Rev. E. Rodgers in 1843. Its mem¬ bers were scattered by the floor of 1844 an<^ never reunited.

The Baptist church of the Forks of Wood River was organized in 1836, with sixteen members, Rev. Aaron Trabue, pastor. It flourished for a time, but was extinct in 1845.

The Unitarian denomination is represented by one church, that at Alton. As early as 1836 Rev. W. G. Eliot, of St. Louis, is re¬ corded as holding occasional services at Alton, preaching to small congregations either in a school house or in the office of Dr. Wm. S. Emerson. Dr. Eliot continued his visits for several years and it is supposed a society was formed, but no records thereof remain. The first regular pastor is said to have been Rev. Charles A. Farley. The preliminary organi¬ zation finally became extinct following the town's later slump in business and decline in population. Says the late Rev. Judson Fisher, writing in Brink's History: "In October, 1853, Rev. W. D. Haley came to Alton with purpose to re-establish the society and awak¬ ened such interest as to lead to the organiza¬ tion now existing, known as 'The First Con¬ gregational Society of Alton,' which adopted a constitution similar to that of Dr. Eliot's church in St. Louis. Its first officers were Edward Keating, president; B. F. Barry, sec¬ retary; Moses G. Atwood, treasurer; Henry Lea, M. H. Topping, Geo. B. Ingersol, L. S. Metcalf and William McBride, trustees. Other members were: N. Hanson, E. D. Top¬ ping, A. K. Root, S. W. Robbins, C Stigleman, W. A. Platt, A. L. Corson, Robert Smith, H. W. Billings and George Moody. In 1854 it was decided to build a church, and money was raised for the purpose, the St. Louis society contributing $3,500 in aid of the enter¬ prise. Meanwhile opportunity offered for the purchase of the Catholic church, a stone edi¬ fice, partly destroyed by fire, but with massive walls intact. The building was reconstructed at a cost of $13,000. It was dedicated Octo¬ ber 14, 1855, Rev. G. W. Hosmer, of Buffalo, N. Y., preaching the sermon. The organiza¬ tion included thirty communicants. Mr. Haley resigned in 1856 and was succeeded by Rev. J. G. Forman, who was installed May 17, 1857. From 1861 to 1863 he served as chaplain in the army, when he resigned and continued serv¬ ing the church another year. After his re¬ tirement Rev. Joseph Mason and Rev. A. D. Russell supplied the pulpit, but not as regular pastors. Other ministers following them were Rev. D. H. Clark, Rev. H. P. Cutting, Rev. Isaac Kelso. After 1873 Dr. Eliot, Rev. J. L. Douthit and others supplied the pulpit until December, 1874, when a call was extended to Henry C. Hogg, whose labors were closed by his sudden death the following April. During the next three years services were continued, but without a regular pastor. In April, 1878, Rev. Judson Fisher, of Wisconsin, was called to the pastorate."

This ends Dr. Fisher's narrative. He con¬ tinued as pastor until his lamented death in May, 1890. He was succeeded by J. B. Frost, Henry D. Stephens, Wilson M. Backus and George R. Gelanee. At this writing the church has no regular pastor, but the pulpit is supplied by Prof. McCreary, of St. Louis. It will be noticed that among the original trus¬ tees and members are the names of several of the most prominent and influential of the early residents of Alton.

Silver Creek church was the first of this denomination in this county. It was estab¬ lished July 4, 1830, which gives it rank with the oldest church organizations in the county. Elders Humphries, Austin Sims and Robert Foster were the early preachers, followed in later years by Elders Lucas, Birge, Philips, Cathcart, W. B. Foster and Thos. Vance.

The Marine Christian church was estab¬ lished April 7, i860, Elder William Birge officiating. For seven years after the organi¬ zation services were held in the Coon school house. In 1871 a church building was erected in Marine and dedicated in December of that year. It cost $2,500. St. Clair McLain, E. J. Jeffries, P. S. Wideman, J. W. Boosinger and David Crandall were chosen trustees. A large number of able men have served the church as pastors in the past.

The Fairview Christian church was estab¬ lished in May, 1873, during a meeting held by Elder Frank Talmadge. Hon. Jones Tontz and A. H. Goodman were chosen deacons. A meeting house was erected in 1874.

Ridgeley Christian church was organized about 1842. The first meeting house was erected through the liberality of Mrs. O'Bannon. Elder E. L. Craig was one of the earliest pastors. Elders Houston, Foster, Corwine, Masters and Groner likewise served the church with great acceptance in later years.

The first Protestant Episcopal church in Madison county was that of Christ church at Collinsville, which was organized by Bishop Chase in 1835. It is the oldest organization in the Diocese of Springfield. In 1833 Rev. Joseph L. Darrow, of New York, located in Collinsville, and through his energy, personal liberality and aid received from the east, three church edifices were soon after erected at Col¬ linsville, Edwardsville and Marine. That at Collinsville was consecrated by Bishop Chase in 1841. Dr. Darrow died of cholera in 1855. The rectors who followed later were Rev. A. P. Crouch, Rev. Robert Trewortha, Rev. Dean Dresser, Rev. G. C. Tucker and others. Among the early parishioners were Daniel Ground, of Marine; John S. Clark and Hon.

George Churchill. At a later day Dr. A. M. Powell, T. Kneedler, S. Newson and W. H. Brown were prominent in the official work of the church.

St. Andrew's church, at Edwardsville, elected the following trustees April 26, 1841 : C. Roberts, A. J. Lusk, J. L. Brackett, Wm. T. Brown, Solon Stark, Horace Look, Jos. H. Treadway. On November 7, 1841, Orren Meeker deeded to the above trustees, lot 125, Edwardsville, for $1,000, on which a frame building was erected, where services were held until 1869, when the building was sold to the German Methodist. A new building was erected in 1870 on the corner of Hillsboro and Buchanan streets. Rev. Dr. Darrow and Rev. S. Y. McMaster, of Alton, supplied the pul¬ pit in the early days.

Ministers of the Cumberland Presbyterian church were prominent in the early religious history of Madison county. The early rec¬ ords of the church are incomplete, but the late Rev. J. B. Logan, of Alton, has, in his History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Illinois, rescued from oblivion many important facts regarding the establishment of his denomination in this state. Dr. Logan was, during his residence in Alton, the most prominent divine in his denomination in Illi¬ nois. He Was equally widely known as an author and editor of religious papers. He passed to his reward on the 14th of Septem¬ ber, 1878, after a life of usefulness and selfsacrifice seldom equaled. His history of his church was published after his death. He writes: "As early as 1815 Cumberland Pres¬ byterian ministers began laboring in this state. Many meetings were held, but the poverty of the people and the fluctuating character of the population for years after the first mis¬ sionary efforts made it difficult to secure per¬ manent church organizations. Among the pio¬ neer preachers were Rev. Samuel McAdow, who lies buried in Mt. Gilead cemetery, Bond county ; Rev. David Foster, whose remains rest in Madison, and Rev. David McLin, 'the immortal trio' who composed the first Pres¬ bytery of Illinois." Mr. W. P. B. Paisley writes Dr. Logan from Emporia, Kansas, un¬ der date of November 28, 1876: "The first camp meeting held by the Cumberland Pres¬ byterians in Illinois was at the old Ebenezer camp ground, in Madison county, two miles south of Edwardsville. Ministers : Revs. Wil¬ liam Barnett and Green B. Rice." There seems to have been no church organization at this meeting, probably for the reasons stated above and the added difficulty of guaranteeing any permanent ministerial supply, but out of its influence, followed by the efforts of Robert Paisley, John Barber, Joseph and David Rob¬ inson, grew up the Goshen congregation, later Columbia, which was organized in 1824. The second church seems to have been organized in 1838, at Omphghent, with a membership extending into both Madison and Bond coun¬ ties. The first meeting Dr. Logan ever at¬ tended in Illinois was at this old Goshen, or Columbia, church. This was in 1855. "The congregation still exists," he writes in 1876, "holding its meetings a few miles east of Ed¬ wardsville, where they have a neat and com¬ fortable house of worship. The congregation includes some of the leading and most in¬ fluential citizens of the county." Two of the most useful of the early Cumberland Presby¬ terians of the county were the Rev. John Bar¬ ber, Sr., and his son, Rev. John Barber, Jr. The latter died at an early age, in 1838. The former lived until 1855, and at his death was the oldest member of the Presbytery.

The present strong and influential Twelfth Street Presbyterian church of Alton was orig¬ inally known as the Alton mission. Dr Logan writes : "It was started by Vandalia Presby¬ tery, which had organized a Presbyterial mis¬ sionary society in 1848. The Presbyterial mis¬ sionary, Rev. A. M. Wilson, in 1850 circu- lated a subscription paper for the purpose of raising means for sustaining a missionary at Alton. At length, in the fall of 1853, Rev. T. M. Hardwaick was employed to go to Alton and begin operations as a missionary. He remained one year. During that time he held a meeting in Upper Alton at which 26 per¬ sons gave their names to form a congrega¬ tion. From the fall of 1853 to the spring of 1855, Rev. A. M. Wilson supplied the mis¬ sion." In the spring of 1855 Dr. Logan re¬ moved from St. Louis and agreed to take charge of the mission. The following June he organized a little congregation of eighteen members in the German church on Henry street, with William Blair and Benjamin Rose as elders. A lot was bought on Twelfth street and a church building was begun. The base¬ ment was so far completed that the first serv¬ ice was held there the first Sunday in Janu¬ ary, 1856. The next Sunday a Sabbath school was organized, with Stephen Lufkin as super¬ intendent. The church building was dedicated the following June. The whole cost, including the lot, was $5,200, which left a debt of over half the amount. Great success attended the further labors of Dr. Logan, who remained as pastor until his resignation in 1871. One of the pastors succeeding him was his son, Rev. Wm. C. Logan. The present new and handsome edifice speaks well for the pros¬ perity of this society. This church has stood for religious as well as for civil union. When the Presbyterian church of the United States and the Cumberland church adopted plans for reunion in 1906, there was no opposition on the part of any members of this church.

Another pioneer Cumberland Presbyterian church deserving of mention is that of Lib¬ erty Prairie, which seems to have been orig¬ inally a branch of the Omphghent church. It was constituted in 1850. Among the pastors who served these churches for considerable periods were Revs. T. K. Hedges, W. W. Brown, William Turner and J. W. McDavid, names prominent in the annals of the church in this county. Intimately connected with the history of the Omphghent church was Samuel A. Miller, who settled in the town¬ ship in 1839 and was clerk of the session for 27 years. He was noted for his generous benevolences. He was eminent in other cir¬ cles and was the founder of Odd Fellowship in Illinois. He died at his home in Omph¬ ghent July 25, 1879, aged 76 years. He came from Baltimore and resided for five years in Alton prior to moving to Omphghent. Two other laymen of marked prominence were John Estabrook and J. Russell Newman.

The first Catholic service in the Altons was held in a small frame building in Upper Alton in 1840 and a mission was established by Fa¬ ther George Hamilton. He was succeeded ifi 1841 by Father Michael Carroll, who re¬ mained until 1857. In 1842 a stone church was erected in Alton at the corner of Third and Alby streets on the site now occupied by the Unitarian church. This building was de¬ stroyed by fire in 1853. Property was then purchased on State street, on which the splen¬ did Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul was erected, the first service therein being held in 1856. Alton became an episcopal see June 9, 1857. The bishop's elegant residence, ad¬ jacent to the cathedral, was built in 1863. St. Mary's church was erected in 1858-9 at the corner of Third and Henry streets. It was destroyed by the great tornado of June, i860, but was speedily rebuilt. This building was succeeded by a magnificent church on the cor¬ ner of Fourth and Henry streets. It was built of Bedford stone at a cost of $100,000. St. Patrick's church, on the corner of East Fourth street and Central avenue, is the latest addi¬ tion to the Catholic church facilities of the Altons. The growth of Catholicism in Alton has been remarkable. From a weak mission in 1840, it has become a power in the land. It is now represented by three spacious and costly churches, a bishop's residence, two par¬ sonages, the Cathedral High school, an acad¬ emy, several parochial schools, an orphanage, a hospital and an old folks' home. The value of the church property in Alton approximates $500,000.

The following sketch of "Catholic Progress in Madison," by Frank Riley, will be read with interest: "Catholic history in Madison county begins with Father Marquette, the Jesuit, and Joliet, the trader, who were the first white men to visit the county. They came down the Mississippi in canoes in the early summer of 1673 and Marquette has left us a description of the scenery in his Journal, giving a detailed account of the famous Piasa bird, which was painted by the Indians on the bluffs above Alton.

"The next event of interest occurred in 1810, when a colony of Trappist monks set¬ tled in the southern part of the county and built a group of monastery buildings on what has since been known as Monk's Mound. An epidemic of fever devastated the community some years later and the settlement was aban¬ doned in 1813, the remnant of the monks re¬ turning to France.

"The first permanent settlers in Madison county came partly from Kentucky and the southern states, and partly from New Eng¬ land. They were mostly native born Ameri¬ cans and there were few Catholics amongst them. The pioneer Catholic population was mostly of foreign birth. A colony of Swiss Catholics settled at Highland in 1836. The Irish and German Catholic immigration began in the thirties and spread over the county as farmers or settled in the towns as laborers. There were also a few French Catholics de¬ scended from the early French settlers.

early Catholic priests. They built churches and schools and gathered the people into con¬ gregations. By 1857 the Catholic population had increased in numbers and influence to such an extent that the city of Alton was made the see of the second diocese of Illinois on January 9 of that year.

"Henry Damien Juncker (1857-1868) was the first bishop of Alton. He was succeeded by Peter Joseph Baltes (1869-86), a very able man whose reforms in matters of liturgy and discipline made him one of the prominent prel¬ ates of his time. The present bishop, Rev. James Ryan, was appointed in 1888.

"There are in Madison county at the pres¬ ent waiting twenty churches, thirteen parochial schools wdth an attendance of about 3,000 chil¬ dren, three hospitals, at Highland, Granite City and Alton ; an orphanage, an old folks' home, a young ladies' academy and two con¬ vents.

"The Knights of Columbus, Western Cath¬ olic Union and Knights of Father Mathew have large memberships, while the state head¬ quarters of the Federation of Catholic So¬ cieties is located at Alton. The Catholic pop¬ ulation of the county is estimated at about 8,000."

It is a far cry from the rude log hut with a single window to the stately cathedral with its lofty stained glass windows and tall spire pointing heavenward, but it marks the archi¬ tectural progress of church building in Madi¬ son county in the last century. What a con¬ trast between the primitive shack reared with¬ out money by the voluntary labor of the pio¬ neers and the splendid edifices of today built by their descendants at an outlay of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet each class was the measure of the ability of the builders. But in the still earlier day, before the advent of even the primitive churches of the border set¬ tlers, "the groves were God's first temples" and their beauty and glory have never been surpassed. And the preachers of the early day have never been surpassed in earnestness, devotion and self-sacrifice by their successors. Some of them were illiterate, but gifted with persuasive oratory and powerful in prayer; others were the most highly educated and cul¬ tured graduates of eastern colleges who had dedicated their lives to missionary labor on the frontier and the building up of schools and colleges. Each class did a great work in its own way and in looking today at the re¬ sults of their high endeavors who can say which is entitled to the greater honor?

The splendid fruitage of the labors of the pioneer preachers and their successors is seen in the following list of church organizations in the county, many of them dating back near¬ ly a hundred years of continuous existence, a power for good through three generations. While the majority of the churches are located within the bounds of the cities and villages, there are many country churches, and for that reason the enumeration is by townships :

Alton has twenty-four churches and mis¬ sion chapels - three Catholic, two Presbyte¬ rian, one Unitarian, one Congregational, one German Evangelical, four Methodist, three Baptist, one Episcopal, one Lutheran, one Plymouth Brethren; also three Baptist Mis¬ sion chapels, one Episcopal Mission chapel, one Congregational and one Presbyterian.

Collinsville has ten churches - two Baptist, one Lutheran, one Episcopal, two Methodist, one Presbyterian, one Catholic, one German Evangelical and one Lithuanian.

Edwardsville has eleven churches - three Methodist Episcopal, one Presbyterian, one Episcopalian, two Baptist, one Christian, two Catholic, Evangelical, Trinity Lutheran.

Godfrey, four churches - two Methodist, two Congregational, one of these at Godfrey village and one at Melville; one A. Methodist Episcopal at Rocky Fork.

Nameoki, eight churches - Baptist, Episco¬ pal, German Evangelical, Lutheran, St. John's Evangelical, St. Joseph's Catholic, Christian and Presbyterian.

Venice, nine churches - Methodist, First Presbyterian, (Granite City) Presbyterian (Madison) Dewey Ave. Methodist, St. Peters Evangelical, St. Mark's Catholic, Baptist, Ger¬ man Methodist. All the churches in Nameoki

Wood River has fourteen church organiza¬ tions - five Baptist, four Methodist, one Free Methodist, two Presbyterian, one Catholic and one Union.

This shows a total of 143 church organiza¬ tions in the county. Calling the population 90,000, as per census of 1910, gives an aver¬ age of one church for every 634 of popula¬ tion.