Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/513

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 453 Some of the other early churches in Missis- sippi county were Kay's Chapel, Haw's Chapel and Rush Ridge Chapel. A church building was erected at Jackson about 18-11. The trustees of this church were: Greer W. Davis, David II. Davis, Ca- leb Green, Welton O'Bannou, John D. Cook, Hiram Gilliland and William T. Randol. The lot for the church was given by Greer W. Davis. The first Methodist church house in Cape Girai'deau was erected about 1842. It was blown down by a storm in 1851 and the next building was a small frame house on the corner opposite where the Episcopal church now stands. This house was destroyed by a snow storm in 1856, the weight of the snow crushing the structure. The first church building in Bloomfield erected by the Methodists was a small house put on a lot donated by the county, this was in 1842. Edmund Wood, Thomas Neale, Samuel Sifford, Thompson Couch and John Eaker were trustees of the church. In 1838 a church was built at Frederick- town, and occupied the site of the present church building. Some of the early members were: T. F. Tong, P. T. Overfield, Thomas Cooper, Wm. M. Newbei*ry and Andrew Rus- sell with tlieir families. Our information concerning the condition of the church at this period is derived in large part from a copious diary which was kept by Jacob Lanius, the Presiding Elder of the Cape Girardeau District in 1839 and '40. A perusal of this old diary indicates more plainly than anything else the difficulty under which the ministers of that early day labored. Some extracts from it are given ("History of Southeast Missouri," Page 536). "Thursday, November 14 — Started from my New Madrid quarterly meeting, and after a ride of thirty miles through steady rain reached Brother Caleb Grain's near Jackson. Here is a society of about twenty members in a tolerable state of prosperity only. The next day passed through Jackson, a little old vil- lage, and took breakfast at the house of Greer Davis, a member of the bar, and a re- spectable member of our church. Traveled thirty miles today and lodged at the house of old Mother Houts, near Benton, the county seat of Scott county. Here the church once prospered but is now in moi-al rains. "16th and 17th — Held the first quarterly meeting for New Madrid circuit at Pleasant Plains meeting-house in Sandy Prairie. Brothers Haw and Dunleavy, the pastors of the circuit, and Henry and Owens attended as ministers in holy things. Two professed faith in Christ. This circuit has nearly 400 members, but religion is at very low ebb. This is a land of swamps and earthquakes, so that you have no access to the circuit save by crossing a swamp. I crossed on a levee three miles long. The land is very fertile, but the country sickly. "23d and 24th— Pleld the fii-st quarterly meeting for Cape Girardeau Circuit at Mc- Kendree Chapel, three miles from Jackson. Some good omens. "30th — Held quarterly meeting for Farm- ington Circuit, which embraces my residence, in the town of Farmington. Here Methodism once flourished, but now lies in ruins. A class of only about twenty, no meeting-house, and under the necessity of occupying the Presbyterian church. Some deep feeling on Sabbath, but all the seed fell on 'stony ground. ' "December 14th — Held quarterly meeting for Ripley Mission at Brother Sharp's on Current River. Congregation small, only