Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/522

 462 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI tried to arrauge plans for carrying on the work in Missouri and Arkansas. The only ministers left at that time were : George Sly, David Thompson, Joseph Doughty, Mark Robertson, Anthony Bewley and Nelson Henry. They were unable to accomplish very much, but in 1848 the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church was re- organized. It was divided into three dis- tricts, one of which included the most of Southeast Missouri and a large part of Ar- kansas. Nelson Henry was Presiding Elder of this district and under his direction a mis- sion was organized at Bloomfield. The first quarterly meeting in the district was held at the house of W. W. Norman, October 14, 1848. Nelson Henry was the Pre- siding Elder and John W. McKnight was the pastor of the church. Another quarterly meeting was held later at the house of Jonas Eaker in 1S"49. J. J. Buren was presiding elder and W. W. Norman was pastor of the church. This arrangement was kept up dur- ing the next few years. The circuit with Norman as its pastor, included practically all of Southeast ilissouri. In 1852 D. jI. Smith was Presiding Elder and E. N. Lowe was the pastor. It is probable that the first church erected by the IMethodist Episcopal church after the division was the one at Bloomfield. It was built under the supervision of a committee consisting of W. W. Norman, H. C. Rich and J. C. Bottom : this was in 1853. The church carried on services not only at Bloomfield. but at Grand Prairie, Big Lake, Gravel Hill, Spring Creek, Dick's Creek, Poplar Creek and Mt. Zion. Some of the ministers who served the church during this period were: John :MeKnight. Richard Thornton, J. S. Gooch, Thomas Gdlding, Asa D. West, Hiram Lipe and Francis Beggs. It was unfortunate for the cause of relig- ion that this division occurred in the Meth- odist church. The activity of the old church in Southeast ^Missouri was productive of bit- ter feeling, and serious obstacles were placed in the way of those having the work in charge. On more than one occasion ministers were denounced and even attacked by the persons opposed to the abolition sentiment expressed by the ministers. Southeast Mis- souri, at this time, was very largely pro- slavery in sentiment, — in fact this was true of the greater part of the state, and the well known fact that the Methodist Episcopal church was opposed to the institution of slavery, operated to bring strong opposi- tion to the work of its ministers. This is shown very conclusively in the failure of the legislature to issue a charter to the school which the church purposed to estab- lish in Jackson. In 1854 a society in Jack- son, which was in charge of a school there, oft'ered BuilJiugs and grounds to the ^Missouri conference, provided the conference would guarantee the establishment of a good school. This offer was accepted by the church and the school was begun. In order that the school might be on a permanent basis, application was made to the legislature for a charter of incorporation, but the bill was defeated by a vote of sixty to thirty-six on the express ground, that the church was opposed to slavery. All the circuits in Southeast Missouri were attached to the St. Louis District, and Rev. Samuel Huffman was the Presiding Elder of this district from 1858 until the beginning of the war. There were regular circuits at that time at De Soto, where F. S. Beggs was the pastor in charge, at Jackson, where J. Linan was pastor, at Fredericktown. where J. E. Baker was pastor, and Bloomfield, which was