Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/525

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 465 association, but they dismissed some of these to form a uew association in Scott county. In 1878 the association was composed of twenty churches in the counties of Cape Girardeau, Scott, Mississippi, Perry and New Madrid. The total membership was 557. The ministers at that time were T. A. Bowman, John T. Ford, C. B. Ford, J. F. Godwin, Z. A. Hoppas, J. M. Warren and W. H. Welker. In 1881 the meeting, was lield at Gape Girardeau. Elder J. Hickman was modera- tor and T. A. Bowmau, clerk. There were at that time fourteen churches with a member- ship of -426. By successive divisions the Cape Girardeau Association has come to include only the terri- tory of Cape Girardeau and Perry counties. The meeting in 1911 was held at Crosstown in Perry county. In 1911 the Cape Girardeau Association re- ported sixteen churches having a, membership of 1,560. They were: Allenville, 24; Bur- fordville, 37; Cheney Fork, 48; Cape Girar- deau, 329 ; Leroy, 53 ; Gravel Hill, 62 ; Round Pond, 49; lona, 77; Jackson, 296; Lithium, 82; New Bethel, 116; Niswonger, 28; Oak Ridge, 158; Pleasant Grove, 123; Bethlehem, 74; Whitewater, 42. Of the churches of this association Jackson is the oldest. It was organized April 30, 1824, largely from members of Bethel church and it finally absorbed the best and most progressive element of that church. Cape Girardeau church was organized in 1834 by Elder Thomas P. Green with nine members. The pastors of the church before the war were T. P. Green, J. H. Clark, Sam- uel Baker, S. H. Ford, W. F. Wilson. James S. Green, A. Sherwood and J. C. Maple. This church at Cape Girardeau, which is the most important owing to its situation of the church in the association, has had a most interesting history. Owing to the unfortu- nate circumstances most of the old records of the church were destroyed, but Mrs. J. C. Maple, who was for many years a member of the church in the early period, wrote a sketch of the early histoiy which is reproduced here through the kindness of Dr. J. C. Maple. It contains much of interest and importance concerning these early years. "This sketch of the early history of the church," says Mrs. Maple, "must be largely reminiscent; made up from the recollections of a child, and of what was told her, and of occurrences that I remember. The church records having been lost, I may be able to re- view some things that will prove of interest to the present membership. "Rev. R. S. Duncan, in his history of Mis- souri Baptists gives the date of the organiza-* tiou August 13, 1834, with nine members. The church was instituted in the little brick schoolhouse that stood almost directly west of the present residence of L. J. Albert, Sr. The track of the Cape Girardeau and Chester railroad runs near the location of the build- ing. There is now no means of knowing the names of the original nine, but I feel confi- dent that John Juden, Sr., John Juden, Jr., Abbie Block Juden, liis wife, and Captain William Surrell and his wife, Ann Surrell (nee Juden), were among the number. Rev. Thomas P. Green was instrumental in bring- ing about the organization and was its first pastor. John Juden, Jr., was the first clerk and senior deacon and continued to fill both offices until his removal to New Orleans, La., a few years latei-. "The church must have taken steps very promptly to secure a house of worship, and the brick building on Lorimier street was