Chapter V
FOR many of the facts contained in the last
chapter, I am very largely indebted to a paper
written by Rev. J. F. Childs, and read before the
State Convention in 1874, and which has never been
published. From his connection with the Secretaryship
of the Convention for so many years, and his energy
and zeal in gathering documents and facts, there
probably is, or has been, no man in Iowa whose
facilities for historical accuracy in these matters
are equal to those of Bro. Childs.
In the present chapter we shall note the rapid growth
of the general work in the decade from 1852 to 1862.
In 1852 there were yet but three Associations, 50
Churches, and 1,996 members; one Baptist to 115 of
the population. There were then 30 ministers. A year
later, 1853, there are four Associations, 65
Churches, 36 ministers, 299 baptisms and 2,385
members. The border line of Baptists at this time
might be drawn from Decatur county on the south,
through "Fort Des Moines,"' bending to the
eastward till it touches Marion, in Linn county,
thence northward to West Point, in Fayette county,
thence to Rossville, in Allamakee. It does not appear
that there was an organization of Baptists west or
north of this supposed line. Marshalltown, Waterloo,
Cedar Falls and points north on the Cedar River, had
then not been heard of as regards Baptists. The same
is true of the territory stretching away westward
towards the setting sun.
I can hardly forbear to pause and let imagination
make her utmost effort to take in the situation. The
standard, our great denominational paper for the
northwest, under its present management, was about
beginning its career of untold usefulness for this
vast domain. That "Kansas-Nebraska Bill,"
which, by its repeal of the "Missouri
Compromise" — thus seeking to open up to
slavery the territories west to the Rocky Mountains
— inaugurated the new "irrepressible
conflict" which put an end to slavery in the
United States, had not yet passed through Congress.
It was indeed the beginning of a new era in many
respects, and we shall find it the beginning of a new
era with the Baptists of Iowa. We have seen that, for
the ten years previous, growth had been slow; from
463 to 2,385, or an average of 192 2-10 per year. We
may anticipate the next ten years' growth, from 1853
to 1863, by pointing out, here, that it is to be
10,208 or an average of 1,020 8-10 per year. We will
take a bird's-eye view of this growth of Associations
and Churches, mentioning the names only of such
Churches as are, for geographical or other reasons,
central or typical.
Turning over two years to 1855 we find three new
Associations had been added, the Eden in 1853, and
the Dubuque in 1855, while the Fox River Association,
though organized several years earlier, does not
appear in our records till about this time, and is
not counted in the list previous to this date. The
Central and Oskaloosa Associations had both been
organized in 1852, making five at that date if Fox
River had been counted. As near as I can get at the
facts now, the Fox River Association was organized in
1849 as an Old-School Baptist Association, and came
into our ranks about 1855. At this date there are
unassociated Churches at Waterloo, at Oskaloosa, at
Ottumwa, at Bedford, and at several other places. A
year later at Council Bluffs and Red Oak Grove. These
are picket posts. Others follow soon at Denison, with
Rev. J. W. Denison on guard, and at Webster City,
with Rev. O. A. Holmes, who had for several years
previously held the fort at Maquoketa. Several of
these unassociated Churches remained in that
condition for a number of years — we speak now
of these as central points — because they were
too remote from other Churches to find association.
We can understand by this something of what it cost
to occupy these frontier posts. To name the noble
brethren who did it, and many of whose names have run
through all the subsequent history of our State,
while
some have gone hence to stand on guard here no more,
would be to lengthen these Sketches beyond the
publisher's, if not the reader's, patience. Indeed,
we can begin nowhere and end nowhere in the mention
of names without the fear of omitting many just as
worthy of mention as those named.
Turning now to the records as they stand in 1860, and
looking back over the decade, what do we see of the
growth of this active period? Here is the Bedford
Association organized in 1856. It had in 1860
twenty-five Churches and 1,116 members. All of these
churches except one had been organized within the ten
years. The Cedar Valley Association, organized in
1856, has in 1860 nineteen Churches and 593 members,
and every church organized since 1850. The Iowa
Valley Association, organized in 1858, has seven
Churches and 220 members, not a Church more than five
years old, in 1860. The Linn Association, organized
in 1857, has eighteen Churches and 617 members, and
only two Churches that were organized prior to 1850.
Fairview in 1848 and Marion in 1843. The Western
Association, organized in 1859, has in 1860 ten
Churches and 206 members, all the Churches organized
within three years. The Dubuque Association,
organized in 1855, has in 1860 eighteen Churches and
724 members. This Association was drawn largely from
the Davenport and contains some of the older Churches
of the State; nevertheless, of the eighteen Churches
in 1860, twelve have been organized within the
decade. Thus we have, leaving out the growth during
the same period in the old Associations, added within
this decade five new Associations (from 1858 to 1860)
containing at the latter date eighty-seven Churches
and 8,270 members. But the growth had been chiefly in
the last half of the decade. Of the eighty-seven
Churches only fifteen having been organized prior to
1855.
The Upper Des Moines, the English River, and the
Turkey River Associations followed quickly in 1860,
and the work has spread itself over the settled parts
of the State; keeping pace, and more than keeping
pace, with the rapid settlement of the State itself.
In eight years the ratio of Baptists to the
population has risen from one in 115 in 1852 to one
in less than fifty-nine in 1860. The population of
the State in the eight years has increased from
230,888 to 676,485, or nearly as multiplied by three.
The period under review was not only one of growth by
immigration, the rapid filling up of the State
bringing in many energetic Baptists with the tide. It
was evidently a period of great revival and spiritual
activity among the Churches. The former period of
seed sowing and slow growth was succeeded by one of
ripening grain and Joyful reaping. It is refreshing
to study the records of those years, and witness the
evidence of God's gracious presence. It causes the
prayer to rise up in my own heart as I write, "O
Lord revive thy work." "Wilt thou not
revive us again?" and "Restore unto us the
joy of thy salvation?'' that we "may teach
transgressors thv ways and that sinners may be
converted to thee!" May I not pause here to ask
that the Iowa readers of these imperfect sketches,
when they read these lines, will join the writer in
this fervent prayer?
The number of baptisms reported in 1853 was 299. This
was the largest number that had ever been reported in
any one year. The whole number reported for the ten
years ending with 1853 was 1,513; an average of 151
per year. The whole number of baptisms for the ten
years ending with 1863 was 8,998, an average of 899
per year. The great revival continued through the
years 1858, 1859 and 1860; the baptisms were
respectively 1,890, 1,173 and 1,324.
In our next chapter we shall give attention to the
missionary activity of Iowa Baptists, and the origin
and progress of the strictly Missionary History of
the State Convention, with other features of
Missionary growth. It will be proper to close this
chapter with a notice of the Home Mission Society's
work in Iowa during the period we have had under
review. During the decade, 1852 to 1861, inclusive,
the Society issued to missionaries in Iowa 194
commissions, an average of over nineteen per year.
Their reports summarize as follows: Weeks of labor,
7,426 number of baptisms, 1,860; amount of
appropriations, 138,917; amount of receipts, $4,990.
We will take the year 1859 as the period of
high-tide. We find the Society's work for the year
represented by the following weeks of labor: James
Schofield, Hardin, 26; A. Chapin, Vinton, 13; J.
Woodward, Cedar Rapids, 52 L. M. Newell, Waukon, 18;
Thomas M. Ind, Burlington, 52; George Scott,
Strawberry Point, 26; Charles E. Brown, Vernon
Springs, 26; P. P. Shirley, Le Claire, 13; J. M.
Coggshall, Wapello, 46; G. G. Edwards, Toledo, 39; J.
F. Childs, Oskaloosa, 52; O. A. Holmes, Webster City,
52 A. G. Eberhart, Waterloo, 52; S. H. Worcester,
Ottumwa, 52; J. Currier, Central Association, 29;
Alvah Bush, Strawberry Point, 26; A. H. Starkweather,
Lyons, 39; John Fulton, Independence, 26; A. W.
Russell, Winterset, 26; F. D. Rickerson, Grinnell,
13; L. L. Frisk, Swede Bend, 26; Morgan Edwards,
Burlington, 26; Wm. A. Eggleston, Denmark, 26; I.
Butterfield, Davenport, 26; U. R. Walton, Cedar
Falls, 13; T. S. Griffith, Keokuk, 26: L. Yarnell,
Adel, 26. Of the above, eight are known to have
discharged their last commission and gone over the
river. Some are waiting at its borders and several
are still in the harness in this and other States.
The present writer is privileged to acknowledge his
own baptism by one of the missionaries, as one of the
fruits of that same year, 1859.
- source: Historical sketches of
Iowa Baptists; by S.H. Mitchell; Burlington,
Iowa: Burdette Co., 1886,
537 pgs.; Page 41-46
- transcribed for Allamakee co. IAGenWeb by Constance
Diamond
|
