Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/265

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST IMISSOURI 205 the Illinois district. He held the first quar- terly meeting with Travis in that year on the Maramec river, it seems, at the place where Lewis chapel is now located. In 1808 the Western Conference appointed the Rev. Jesse Walker for the Cape Girar- deau circuit and Rev. David Young and Rev. Thomas Wright for the Maramec circuit. This territory was then part of the Indiana district, over which Samuel Parker was pre- siding elder. Rev. Parker visited the Cape Girardeau circuit in that year, and came to the town of Cape Girardeau, where he preached the first sermon ever heard in the town. This was at the house of William Scripps, who was an Englishman, having come to America in 1791 and to Cape Girardeau in 1808. Scripps was a tanner by trade and he and Rev. Parker had been acquainted in Virginia. One of the sons of William Scripps, whose name was John, was admitted, at the conference in 1814, as a preacher on trial. Later, he was taken into full connection with the church and was active as a minister until his removal to Illinois in 1820. In 1810 Jesse Walker and John Scripps crossed the big swamp to the New Madrid dis- trict and organized the New Madrid circuit. They traveled this circuit in connection with the Cape Girardeau circuit. There were thirty members in this circuit the first year. In this year, 1810, the first camp meeting in Cape Girardeau county was held on the camp ground in connection with McKendree chapel. Walker, Wright, and Presiding Elder Parker were present and conducted the camp meeting. The conference of 1810 assigned John Mc- Parland to the Maramec circuit and reap- pointed Walker to the Cape Girardeau circuit. Walker did not remain and McFarland min- istered to both the circuits. In 1811 McFar- land was placed in charge of both Cape Gir- ardeau and New Madrid circuits and Thomas Wright was sent to the Maramec. In 1812 Cape Girardeau and the New Madrid circuits were divided. Benjamin Edge was appointed to the work at Cape Girardeau and William Hart to that at New IMadrid. In 1813 Thomas Wright was assigned to Cape Girardeau and Thomas Nixon to New Madrid. In 1812 a camp meeting was held in what is now Madison county, though it was then a part of Ste. Genevieve county. The meet- ing was conducted by Thomas Wright and it was the first camp meeting held in Ste. Gene- vieve county. Like the great revival meeting by Wilson Thompson, in Bethel Baptist church, it followed very closely after the earthquake at New Madrid. In 1814 the conference received John C. Harbison on trial. Harbison had been a resi- dent of the district since 1798, but up to this time had been employed as a teacher at Mt. Tabor, and had also practiced law for a short period. He was of Scotch-Irish descent and had lived in other states before coming to Missouri. His descendants still live in Scott county. It is said that Harbison had been, for a long time, addicted to gambling and drunkenness before he became a member of the church, and that after he was converted and living an exemplary life as a minister, he met some of his former companions who chal- lenged him to play a game of poker. He agreed to do this, provided that after the game was over they would listen to the ser- mon which he was to preach at the church. They agreed to this, and he preached such a powerful and convincing sermon that those who heard abandoned their wicked courses of life.* In the same year Thomas Wright was ap- ' Houek, Vol. Ill, p. 238.