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Historical Sketches of Iowa Baptists, 1886
S. H. Mitchell
Published
by Burdette Co., Burlington, Iowa
CHAPTER V
Acknowledgement - Rapid Growth -
Boundries
Associations Multiple Great Revivals
Baptisms - Home Mission Society 1859
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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.
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