Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/545

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 485 Julius Spencer was ordained in 1863 and re- mained in the Presbytery until 1869, supply- ing Bellevue and Potosi churches, and later establishing an academy at Irondale. From other Presbyteries, there were received Thomas C. Smith for the Farmington church, L. P. Rowland for Clark's Creek church, and also as a missionary, Francis Patton for Cape Girardeau church; H. F. L. Laird for Potosi church, G. C. Cannon for Bellevue and Po- tosi churches; John Donaldson for the 1st church at Ironton; David E. Curtis for Farm- ington and New Jladrid, and D. A. Wilson for Potosi and Ironton. During this period there were a number of changes in church organizations. The Ar- cadia Congregational church having adopted the Presbyterian Confession of Faith, was received in April, 1856, and the name was changed to the First Presbyterian church of Ironton. In 1857 the churches at New Madrid and Bloomfield, which had been organized by Rev. L. P. Rowland, were enrolled. One of the strong and influential advan- tages of the work of the church during this period was its educational interests. The academy at Pleasant Hill under the direc- tion of Rev. M. M. Fisher and later of Rev. J. G. "Wells, seems to have exerted a consid- erable influence on the course of church mat- ters and to have developed a number of min- isters for the church. At the close of this decade within the Presbytery there were seven ministers and sixteen churches, which shows a growth, though but a slow growth during the period. 1864-74 The third decade, from 1864 to 1874. also saw a number of changes in the churches. Foi;r men were ordained as evangelists, C. W. Alexander in October, 1867, who served as supply of the First Apple Creek church and Brazeau church for 13 years; W. B. Y. Wilkie, who was ordained in April, 1876, and for three years was supply to New Madrid and Sikeston churches; O. W. Gause was or- dained July 9, 1871, and was at first the supply at Jackson and Pleasant Hill cliurches and later the pastor of Cape Girar- deau church, and William McCarty was or- dained the same day, July 9, 1871, and served first as an evangelist and preached also at Jackson, New Madrid, and Sikeston, and also supplied for the churches at Lakeville and Clarkton. Later he supplied at the First Apple Creek church and Brazeau and still later of Potosi, Irondale and South Bellevue. Besides ministers ordained there were re- reived from other Presbyteries George W. Harlan, who was received in October, 1865, and served as supply at Farmington, Clark's Creek and Syenite ; Thomas C. Barret, who was received in October, 1866, and was sup- ply of Bellevue and South Bellevue churches and later of Cape Girardeau ; John Branch was received in January. 1868, but had no regular assignment; W. W. Faris, received in 1870, served one year as pastor of the Cape Girardeau church. During this period the following changes in church organization were made: In May, 1864, the church at Jackson was reorganized by Rev. A. Munson with 18 members; the church at Irondale was organized in August, 1868, by a committee consisting of Rev. George W. Harlan and Rev. T. C. Barrett and Elder John Adams: there were 10 raem- liers in this church in 1867, Robert Sloam and John A. McCormiek being elders; the South Bellevue church was organized in December, 1 869 ; the Sikeston in July, 1870 ; the Charles- ton in 1871 ; the Clarkton church in 1872, and the Lakeville church in 1873. During the