McDonough ILGenWeb

The church building of this congregation is located upon section 10, of Emmet township, and was erected in 1858 or 1859. The organization was originally perfected July 4, 1847, with a membership of eight, and until the erection of a house of worship, met in a school house. Among the first members were William Pennington and wife, Mrs. Eliza Hardin, Jacob Clemmer and wife, Mrs. Mary Simmons, William Drain and wife and Eliza Hardin. Rev. J. Owen was the first pastor. The church continued to grow slowly for a time until the Evangelist, Freeman came, when it prospered quite rapidly, and at one time had a membership of 220, and church property to the amount of $600. Some of the members died, a large number were dismissed by letter, and several other were excluded, and the congregation is no longer in existence.

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Source: The History of McDonough County, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens, 1885, page 468. Transcribed by Karl A. Petersen