COULTER, Mrs. Alice

COULTER

Posted By: Betty Hootman-Volunteer
Date: 1/30/2014 at 16:54:59

MRS. ALICE COULTER LONG-TIME METHODIST

Mrs. Alice Coulter of Farmington received nation-wide attentio0n and was the subject and was the subject of an article appearing in this week’s issue of The Christian Advocate, official newspaper magazine of the Methodist church, published in Chicago.

Written by the Rev. J. S. Ellis, pastor of the Farmington Methodist church, the article entitled “Long-Time Methodist,” tells of the faithful service rendered to the church by 91-year old Mrs. Coulter. The article reads in part as follows:

“Mrs. Coulter has been part and parcel of the Methodist church ever since her mother carried her to the little log church then located on Indian Creek, across the Des Moines River from here. In today’s 106-year old church, that same mother and daughter have added up more than three quarters of a century of service at stewards.

“Mrs. Coulter’s mind is clear and her body surprisingly strong for one who has had a near-century of living. She does all her own housework and lives in her own home.

“The first organizational meeting was held in a blacksmith shop on Front street, with the anvil for a pulpit. Peter Cartwright preached the first sermon. Iowa was a frontier country, and every little settlement along the Des Moines River was a factory town. Farmington folk made wagons and buggies, wove woolen cloth and manufactured it into suits.

“When went to church in the summertime, Mrs. Coulter remembers ‘we saved our shoes by carrying them the three and a half miles until we came within sight of the church; then we washed our feet in the brook and put on our shoes.’

“Although the pioneer Methodist mother has lived through wars and sickness and sorrow, her face is serene today, and her faith in God is a bright light in the community. Whenever possible she is in her pew on Sunday morning. If she is not able to come her first question to the pastor is, ‘How is the church doing? Are they keeping the finances up?’”

Source: Scrapbook of Unknown Origin, page 4