Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/524

 464 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI tor. There were three new churches re- ceived — Mount Zion, Locust Grove and White Oak Grove. At this time there were 19 churches in the association with a total membership of 834. Bethel Association did a great work in or- ganizing new associations. In 1824 nine churches were dismissed to form the Cape Girardeau Association. In 1829 it dismissed four to form an association in Arkansas. Two were dismissed in 1831 for the Franklin Association and nine in 1859 to form the Cen- tral ]Iissouri Association. Finally many of the churches in the association joined others, some churclies were led off to other doctrines and the association ceased to exist as an or- ganized body of Baptists. The Cape Girardeau Association of Bap- tists was organized at Hebron, Cape Girar- deau county, June 12th to 14th, 1824. The following churches took part in the forming of the association : Bethel with 41 members. Dry Creek with 28 members, Tywappity with 11, Clear Creek in Illinois 66, Apple Creek 15, Ebenezer 17, Big Prairie 19, Hebron 26, Shiloh in Illinois 28, Jackson 8, making a total membership in the association of 248. From 1824 to 1832 the meetings were held regularlj', a good spirit was manifest and much work accomplished. The association was a missionary association and was con- stantly raising funds and providing ways for missionary work. From 1832 to 1860 the as- sociation changed in character. In 1832 there were twenty chi;rches located in Cape Girar- deau, Scott, Mississippi and Perry counties. At the meeting in 1840, eight of the twenty churches comprising the association with- drew and formed what was called the New Cape Girardeau Association. It was com- posed of churches at Cape Girardeau, Mount Zion, Harmony, Mount Moriah, Pleasant Grove, Cypress, Pleasant Hill and Little River. The division in the association had arisen over the question of missions; twelve churches had adopted anti-mission principles, while the eiglit which formed the new asso- ciation, held to the former ideas of the im- portance of missionary work. This New Cape Girardeau Association, as it was called, had a prosperous history from 1840 to 1860. As in the case of all other denominations in this part of the state, the war brought to the Bap- tists very great difficulties and discourage- ments. Many of the ministers were driven away from home or else were compelled to give up preaching for a time. From 1864 to 1867 there was only one minister in the terri- tory of the Cape Girardeau Association en- gaged in preaching. • This was the Rev. John H. Clark, who had been licensed to preach by the Cape Girardeau church in 1842 and con- tinued his active labors as a minister until his death in 1869. The Cape Girardeau Association met in 1864 at Hubble Creek church. Only nine churches were represented. They reported 58 members having been baptized during the previous year, but 48 of these were from one church. Pleasant Grove. The meeting of 1865 was held under very great difficulties. The test oath was enforced and none of the ministers were willing to take it. Accord- ingly they had to preach in violation of the constitution of the state. There were nine- teen churches at this time on the list of the association, but only si. of the number sent messengers to the meeting. New ministers were added to the association from 1867 to 1870. Among them were G. F. Brayton, J. G. Shearer, James Reed, J. S. Jordon, Jonas Hoffman, B. L. Bowman and J. T. Ford. In 1876 there were twenty churches in the