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LIBERTYVILLE CHURCH HISTORY DATES BACK TO MAY,
1822 |
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LIBERTYVILLE CHURCH HISTORY DATES BACK TO MAY,
1822 |
The Libertyville Christian Church Sunday celebrated its 124th anniversary with a homecoming at which Judge Gilbert O. Nations of Washington, D.C., spoke during the all-day affair.
The history of this church is unequalled by any of this area. H. B. Presnell of Farmington Route 3 has been kind enough to furnish this paper with a short history of events and people of that church community, which follows:
"In the latter part of the year 1799 or first part of 1800 a Kentuckian by the name of Nathaniel Cook pitched his tent in this community.
"Mr. Cook was a prominent and influential man, having been a judge of the court of Ouster Sessions held at Ste. Genevieve and was the first elected lieutenant governor of the State at the first election of state officers. This community, which bore the name of Cook's settlement, seems to have been about the first opened in St. Francois County. Mr. Cook was a surveyor and surveyed and homesteaded a great portion of the best land of this community and was appointed as a surveyor whose duty called him from Potosi as far south as New Madrid--and was often accompanied by chairmen, flag-men and Indian guides--who pitched his tent just a short distance west of here (Libertyville) and established his home and lived here until his death, and was buried on what is now the farm of Theodore and John Kiepe just about a mile west of here.
"Into this fine valley people came to be his neighbors and then came a journeyman carpenter and preacher from Kentucky, Wm. McMurty, who on the Lord's day in May, 1822, organized the church. Its first officers were Samuel Kinkead and E. C. Sebastian, elders, and Zeno T. Blanks and Andrew Kinkead as deacons. This church has grown and thrived until today it has a membership of more than 150 members.
"Much of the success of this church is attributed to the able leadership that has grown up with it and not only been confined to this community but leaders have gone out to other parts of this vast land of ours.
"The first services were held in a log school house which was burned about 1844. The congregation then built a frame building which also was destroyed by fire, the congregation going back to another log schoolhouse which had replaced the one burned, whereupon in the year 1858 it built the building now in use.
"The neighborhood, in anti-bellum days, was largely southern and in the building were three entrances--two in the east and one in the west. The pulpit was in the east of the building and the west entrance was for the colored folks who occupied a small railed-off place in that end of the building.
"Some of the most outstanding exponents of our persuasion have preached for this church, among whom were Wm. McMurty and John C. Farmer, who also was a doctor of medicine who lived here and organized the Sunday school in 1852 which has never ceased to function since its organization. Other preachers were: Sterling Price, A. G. Lucas, B. F. Wilson, F. E. Shepherd, J. D. Dillard, J. H. Hardin, S. S. Church, Jacob Creth, F. E. Megs (who was for about 30 years a missionary to China), Thos. P. Reid, Alexander Proctor; and of late years there have been such men as W. H. Hale, Bro. Moore, G. O. Nations, S. W. Robinson, A. M. Harrall, R. L. Allen, J. M. Bailey, C. F. Rose, F. M. Goff, the last pastor; with such men as Rev. L. L. Roberts, R. M. Talbert, A. Z. Matthews, Dr. Joseph A. Serena, J. M. Harris, and T. E. Spurling doing evangelistic work.
"Several ministers have married young women of this congregation, among whom were Rev. Thomas P. Reid, who married Miss Mamie Graham, J. D. Dillard (Fanny Winn), W. H. Crackle (Florence Sebastian), and Rev. R. M. Talbert (Edith Harris). Three from this organization have been ordained to the ministry, namely Gilbert O. Nations of Washington, D.C., who for a number of years was the minister and school teacher here; Gilbert C. Counts, who now is located in Virginia doing evangelistic work; and Mrs. F. M. Goff, wife of Rev. F. M. Goff, who was pastor here but now is at Piedmont."
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