"The History of Decatur County, Iowa: 1839 - 1970"

by Himena V. Hoffman
Published by Decatur County Historical Society, Leon IA, 1970
 
Religion, Part I, Page 108
Transcription by Carmelita
 
The ministers during this period, like those in other professions, rated below the businessmen and like the teachers were directly under the control of boards made up of businessmen in dominant positions.

Joseph Smith, son of the Prophet Joseph Smith and President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, came to Lamoni to live. Unlike the spiritual heads of other churches in the county, he ranked first in the community and not even David Dancer, Lamoni's outstanding businessman, was shown as much deference.

His son, Frederic Smith, followed him as President of the Church.

Both were men of distinguished appearance and strong personality. Associated with the President to the affairs of the church was Zenas Gurley, who came with the prestige of his father's connection with the church as a convert of Joseph Smith in 1837 and later as a leader in the establishment of the Reorganized Church. His wife was a daughter of the pioneer Ebenezer Robinson.

Zenas Gurley had, however, the same independence as his father (who first left the church of his parents to follow the teaching of Joseph Smith, then differed with Bringham Young and joined the Reorganized Church) for when he differed with the church leader in 1886, he withdrew from the church.

Other men who were leaders in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints were David Anderson, who came to Lamoni in 1872, Henry Stebbins who had served his church as a missionary, a man of much ability; John Scott, in charge of the printing at the publications building; George Adams, born in Wales who came to Lamoni from California; Asa Cochran, whose two children died soon after they arrived, deaths more tragic because their other two children had died earlier.

David Dancer and Elijah Banta have already been mentioned and there were others who could well be listed.

Though there was for a time a Negro church in Garden Grove, no record is available as to its ministers or its membership.

The Seventh Day Adventists had a church in Leon and services were held in other places in the county.

The Baptist Church in Leon included Jonathan Hamilton and his wife, and members of the Dale and Blakesley family did much for that church in the county.

One of the most important of the rural churches was that at Franklin, built in 1867 by the Church of the United Brethren. It had no problem of ministers who came and went; Elder Kob farmer and minister, served from 1864 to 1911.
 
 
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