"An Interesting Early History of Decatur County"by Mrs. O.N. Kellogg |
| Chapter Fourteen PRESBYTERIANS-LAND OPENED FOR MARKET ALONG LINE- DR. D. FITCH-METHODIST CHURCH BUILT IN DECATUR CITY |
| In the summer of 1852, Rev. Williams, of Keokuk, traveled throughout
the greater portion of the State as a missionary employed by the
Presbytery to establish Sunday Schools in destitute places. The
population had evidently increased considerably in the vicinity of
Decatur City for, when he arrived at Leon, he found that there was a
singing school appointed at the former place to which almost everyone
seemed to be going and his object was to see as many of people together
as possible so he directed his course thither also. He made known his errand and at the proper time Doctor Thompson introduced him to the audience who received him gladly and were ready immediately to enter upon the work which he recommended to them but, when he came to defining the duty of officers, teachers, etc., stating that the superintendent must open the school with prayer and, asking them to nominate a superintendent, they backed out, and the doctor said there was nobody that could pray except Uncle Johnny Patterson who was not present, but he would take the liberty of appointing a meeting for organization at his house, and they would have him for superintendent. Accordingly they met at Mr. Patterson's house the following Sabbath and the citizens generally manifested a praiseworthy interest in the cause of Sunday Schools which has been well sustained ever since. In 1851 Mr. Britton built on the town site of Decatur City. The log building originally intended for a Court House was finished. The first Methodist quarterly meeting within the county was held in it June, 1853. Rev. J. M. Parker, circuit rider and Rev. John Hayden, presiding elder. At this time there were five families living on the town site as the settlers were all farmers and their farms were more or less remote from the embryo towns. The families living there were Houston, Black and the Notsons. The first store, also the post office, were in the front part of Mr. Black's house. The people of the surrounding county met there to attend preaching and prayer meetings. Uncle Johnny and Auntie Patterson often walked to Decatur City five miles to attend an evening prayer meeting. In 1853 Calvin Johnson came to this county and bought several hundred acres of land on Jonathan Creek and contiguous thereto. The California travel had drained the county of corn on all the principal thoroughfares and he went down into the southeast part of the county to supply himself. He obtained from Mr. Evans what he required, and also received information that cheered him exceedingly for, being a staunch Presbyterian and having been affectionately and kindly, though faithfully, reprimanded by his former pastor in Indiana for deliberately cutting loose from all religious privileges, he was gratified to learn that they were having Presbyterian preaching there by the Rev. M. Shields. Mr. Johnson was very desirous of seeing him and waited from Friday until Sabbath, but was disappointed. However, he left word from him to come without fail and minister to the lost on Jonathan Creek. Mr. Shields accordingly came without much delay and preached first in the log house there, it being a little south of what is now known as Franklin. This edifice was fourteen feet square, a few feet high, with a sod roof. This, with the exception of one or two sermons at the Evans', was the first Presbyterian preaching in the county. The house was filled to its utmost capacity with attentive and interested listeners. Then Mr. Shields went to Leon and preached at Dr. Thompson's. The house was literally crammed with women. Not a man could get in the house except the minister, who stood in the doorway, the men all standing around and, although the situation was not the most comfortable, they accepted it with good grace and the best of order prevailed throughout the services. The land in the south part of the county having been until recently disputed territory, now that the State Line was permanently located and the land surveyed and brought into the market, the settlers were in mortal dread of having their claims entered by someone, either speculator or settler who would be cruel enough to dispossess them of their homes. Dr. Johnson went down there to buy hogs, expecting to get what he wanted of John Logan but, not finding him at home, was about to go elsewhere when Mrs. Logan begged him to stay if he had money for said she” We are in trouble”. They had lived on their claim fourteen years and now the crisis in the affairs had culminated. Money they must have or in their declining years be turned out, homeless wanderers. Mr. Logan returning, he and Mr. Johnson arranged matters so that he had the means to secure his house and, in the middle of the night, he started to the land office. We have omitted to mention in its proper place that, before a county seat had been talked of or the Hungarian exiles had arrived in the county, the first laid out road was located diagonally from northeast to southwest; Daniel Winters, Anthony Vanderpool, and Andrew Still, locating commissioners; Nelson Wescott, surveyor; Richard Baker and a Mormon young man, carrying chain. Commencing at the county line of Wayne and Decatur this side of Marshall Richmond's running through Garden Grove, past old Alfred Stanley's to Allen Scott's. Robert McBroom was one of the early settlers here, having come a single man in 1852, but in due course of time, having bought land of Rev. Daniel Winters, he also married one of his daughters. Both these gentlemen still reside on the farms of their original choice. Dr. Charles Fitch, his mother and brother Ezra, also his brother-in-law, Charles Edgington and family, and two Misses Fitch (the younger one Mrs. A. C. Shaw) came to this county in 1852. They made the first improvement on a farm now owned by Hon. S. L. McNeil. The doctor made Chariton his headquarters but his practice embraced as many counties as Brother Briggs' mission work did and, in many respects no doubt, their experiences were similar. When houses were from ten to forty miles apart everybody knew everybody but the preacher and doctor were especially welcome wherever they went. It was usual for the doctor, in traversing the country, riding night and day, to stop at any time at night that a cabin hove in sight, put his horse in the stable if there was one, feed him if there was any feed, then strike for the house and the cupboard. If fortunate enough to find a crock of milk and corn pone, he was all right. Even a corn dodger with a tin cup of cream he could manage readily and the puncheon floor served him for a bed. Nobody would be the wiser for his depredations until morning, if indeed he did not conclude after his repast to continue his ride which no uncommon occurrence, especially if there was nothing to feed his horse and, as life and death were involved, he could not turn him loose to graze. He was and is a doctor “as is a doctor.” The Methodist Episcopal Church was the first church building in the county, erected in 1853. It is now in use and quite comfortable and was lately repaired and painted and a cupola added. Decatur City may well be proud of its pre-eminence in this regard. Decatur County was divided into two circuits in 1856 and J. L. Garrett took the Decatur circuit which included all the county west of Little River. In the Fall of 1855 there was a camp meeting at White Oak, five miles northwest of Leon. In 1856 J. L. Finley, of precious memory, preached at a camp meeting near there. In 1851 Rev. Mr. Briggs was sent out by conference to occupy a field of labor as missionary embracing six counties. He was a man of education and culture and was highly esteemed. Being invited to a discussion of the evidences of the divine origin of the Christian religion, he complied and was in attendance at the time appointed but there was not sufficient number present at the hall of the California House where it was appointed to justify the outlay of time. The preachers were always welcome at our houses and were free to appoint meetings wherever it suited their convenience but, traveling over so large a scoop of country, their appointments were not regular where there was no society formed. Rev. John Hayden preached in our east room and opened the doors of the church. In those days our groceries were procured at Burlington or Keokuk-sugar by the barrel-both brown and a No. 1 loaf; coffee by the sack, also dried apples and peaches, cheese and raisins by the box, tea by the caddy, etc. Mr. Calvin Johnson, in speaking of the early days when he used to do likewise, said that he liked it better than of late years when stores are handy. But although it never, after the first year, seemed like a new country to me, the preachers no doubt realized that it was indeed new. In many places they could get no grain for their horses and they usually provided themselves with a bit of rope or hickory bark in their pocket. Riding up the the little cabin they would dismount and, scarcely stopping to shake hands with the good brother or sister who came out to meet them, the first thing done would be to haul off the saddlebags and saddles, then hobble the tired beast and turn him loose on the prairie to feed while his master partook of such fare as a new country afforded. The early settlers were noted for their hospitality. Says one, “We never turned anybody away and never charged anybody a cent.” |
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