West Branch Times, West Branch, Iowa, July 14, 1892
Transcribed by Sharon Elijah, July 15, 2018
EARLY HISTORY
Of the Settlement of Friends at
Springdale, Iowa and their Meetings
By Lawrie Tatum
In 1852 a concrete or gravel meeting house with flat roof was built on a lot donated by J. H. Painter. It was, I believe the first church building erected in Cedar county. In 4th month 9th 1853, Red Cedar Monthly Meeting was established. Brinton Darlington was Clerk. Muscatine preparative meeting had previously been established. In the first monthly meeting the Friends of Linn and Jones counties made a request for the establishment of a Preparative meeting.
In the appointment of committees etc. in the first two months we find the following names on the minutes of the men’s meeting: J. A. Grennell, David Tatum, Sam’l Abbott, Sam’l Hampton, Brinton Darlington, Abram Parmer, Stephen Dean, Dilworth Schooley, Zachariah Hampton, Israel Negus, Stephen Southwick, James Schooley, Lawrie Tatum, Elisha Stratton, Moses V. Butler, Nathan Taber, Isaac Jackson, Septamus Sharpless, Benj. Ball, Benj. Grundy, G. P. Wood, Isaac Negus, Moses Varney, Emmor Rood, Enoch Peasley, Mathew Winslow, Wm. Hampton, Peter Collins, Andrew McBride, Isaac Parmer, Albert B. Negus, Elisha Todd, Sam’l Fawcett and Shaidlock Negus.
In the second Monthly meeting, held 4th month 4th 1853 is recorded, “J. A. Grennell, a minister with whom we have unity,” was granted a certificate “to visit in Gospel Love, Friends and others within the limits of Indiana, Ohio, New York and New England Yearly Meetings as way opens.” In the same meeting we find the following record “Albert B. Negus and Martha Ball propose marriage with each other. Parents consenting thereto.” Theirs was the first marriage according to Friends ceremony in Cedar county.
Red Cedar Monthly meeting was incorporated under the laws of Iowa in 1853.
In 7th month 1853, Salem Meeting referred Springdale Indulged meeting, (now West Branch meeting) to the care of Red Cedar Monthly meeting. It was made a preparative meeting in 11 month 1853.
Springdale Post Office was established about two and one-half miles west of where the village and P.O. by that name now is. The settlement near and west of the Post Office was called Springdale. When there was a store started at the present site of Springdale the Post Office was removed to it, much to the chagrin of the Springdale settlers. West Branch Post Office and town were subsequently started, and Springdale meeting was held in the town, and Red Cedar meeting was held at Springdale, which was confusing and misleading. Therefore the names of both meetings were changed to the names of the Post Offices.
In 1st Mo. 1854 the monthly meeting appointed a committee “to carry out the advice of the Yearly Meeting in establishing, and having the care of First-day Schools.” In second month of that year Bloomington meeting a few miles North of Muscatine was established. In the same month the Clerk was directed to sign a petition for a public road to pass by Red Cedar Meeting house.
The Monthly Meeting Minutes do not show who were set off from Salem monthly Meeting. But they show that Red Cedar Monthly meeting received by certificate, during the first year that it was held 290 persons. There were also 12 received by request, making an addition of 302 the first year. There were some received every month. The greatest number of 59. A few of the heads of families received during this eventful year; 4th month 1853 to 3rd month 1854 are: Richard Pinkham, Wm. Townsend, Michael King, Caleb Gregg, Wm. D. Branson, John Thomas, Geo. Hughes, Nathan Satterthwait, Sam’l Peasley, Griffith Lewis, Jas. Walton, David W. Miles, Jas Staples, Samuel Dean, Thos. Montgomery, G. P. Smith, Jas. Townsend, Thomas C. Battey, Sam’l Pearson, Alpheus Hirst, and Wm. Miles. The Friends received during that year came from Ohio, Mich., Iowa, Indiana, Penn., New York, Vermont, Maine and Canada. The second year there were some received every month but one. Total received second year 192. There were 176 received the 3rd year.
(To be continued)
Taken from the July 21, 1892 issue of West Branch Times
(Concluded)
During the first year there were five couples married according to Discipline, and two members disowned for marrying contrary to Discipline, and one dis-owned for providing and partaking of marriage entertainment of daughter who was married contrary to Discipline. Many were subsequently disowned for this marrying. The subject of disownment for marrying in a manner not provided by Discipline received the serious consideration and thought of the writer; and when the discipline was being revised by a committee of Iowa Yearly Meeting, he presented the subject to some of the older members of the committee, by asking them if it was proper to make anything a disownable offense that cannot, by the scriptures, he proved to be wrong. The answer was NO. He then asked them to look over the Old Testament and see if the Lord provided any special mode of consummating marriage? No, there is none. Now please look over the New Testament and see if our Saviour or the apostles provided any special mode of marriage. No they did not. Then what authority have we to virtually say that a member does wrong by legally marrying in a way other than by our Discipline.
Now look at the family record in your Bibles, and you will see that the birth, the marriage and death are the three important periods of record. Then let us in our new discipline provide that a committee of the Monthly Meeting be encouraged to visit our members soon after their marriage for their help and encouragement in Christian life, and not censure them for legal marriage. The committee accepted the proposition and incorporated it in the proposed Discipline which was adopted by Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends in 1865. Since that time, nearly or quite all the other Yearly Meetings of Friends have made a similar change in the Disciplines.
On the 28 of 8 Mo. 1876 J. Y. Hoover a Friend minister officiated in the marriage of Charles E. Negus and Ellen Tatum, using substantially the marriage ceremony in the Discipline. This was the first marriage consummated by a Friend minister in Springdale Monthly Meeting.
In the spring of 1865 Elizabeth Ann Harris, a Friend Minister sang a hymn in Springdale Monthly Meeting held at West Branch. She knew that it was not customary for Friends to sing in meeting, and it was a great trial of faith to do it. She believed that she ought to have sung in the Quarterly Meeting, a short time before, and by withholding she had no Quarterly Meeting, as she afterward s expressed. A few months previously Julian McCool, a minister of LeGrande Monthly Meeting Iowa, had sung a hymn in their meeting. These were probably the first hymns sung by Friend ministers in any of our meetings in America for more than one hundred years. It was very trying indeed to some of the members to have the singing by E. A. Harris but J. A. Grennell, Joel Bean, J. Y. Hoover, and some others thought it was called for of the Lord, and therefore was right. George Fox, and Friends of two hundred years before, placed preaching, prayer and singing on the same basis. But singing had so dropped out of use, that the report, that a Friend minister had sung a hymn in Springdale Monthly Meeting, was received with great surprise in many parts of the United States!! But now how changed. The church has again become evangelistic, aggressive, and missionary, more as it was during the first thirty years after George Fox began to preach. At the close of the first thirty years the church had increased to sixty thousand members! Now, singing, testimony and prayer are encouraged throughout the Friends church in America, with few exceptions. That the blessing of God is upon it is shown by the large numbers converted and taken into church membership since the change.
In 2nd Mo. 1856 David Tatum was recorded a minister and in 11th Mo. same year the gift as a minister of Samuel Lloyd was acknowledged.
In 1850 to 55 when Friends were emigrating so rapidly to this part of the country, many of them “entered their land” i.e. bought it of the Government at $1.25 per acre. It could be bought in 40, 80, or 160 acre lots. At that time the Government had no limit to the amount that a person might “enter.”
In 2nd Mo. 1855, a request came from Winneshiek and Spring Water meetings for the establishment of Preparative Meetings, and the two to constitute Monthly Meetings. The requests were favorably considered, and the meetings established, after six Friends in two carriages went 150 miles north of her in the winter to visit them.
In 1st Mo. 1858, Muscatine and Bloomington Preparative Meetings requested for a Monthly Meeting, which was subsequently granted. In 2nd Mo. ’58 there was a committee appointed by Red Cedar Monthly Meeting to confer with Winneshiek Monthly meeting relative to requesting for the establishing of a Quarterly Meeting, which was to be called Red Cedar. The request was made and the Quarterly meeting was established by Indiana Yearly Meeting, and the first session was held in 5th month 1858.
In anticipation of the Quarterly Meeting, Red Cedar Preparative meeting, with the help of Philadelphia, and other Friends, had enclosed a new frame Meeting house 67x42 feet and finished one end at a cost of $2,362.50, which was reported to the Monthly Meeting in 3rd month 1858. The estimated cost to complete the building was $500. The other meetings to be included in the Quarterly meeting, assisted in completing it, which is the present meeting house at Springdale.
With very few exceptions the early settlers come with little more funds than to purchase their land. As oxen were preferred for breaking the tough prairie sod, and they cost so much less than horses, many of the early settlers had no other team for some years. The oxen were hitched to the farm wagons to take the families to meeting, and visiting and their produce to market etc. They were contented, happy and thankful for what they had. And thankful too that they had no mortgage notes to harass them. They lived within their means, which was very limited. Dressed pork delivered in Muscatine would bring from $1.25 to $2.40 per 100 pounds. Wheat, which was the staple crop of grain at that time, would bring from 25 to 50cts. per bu.
We have now traced the early settlement of Friends in the vicinity of Springdale from the small Indulged meeting in 1849, held in a private house, with no minister, through the rapid growth of Preparative and Monthly Meetings, and the establishment of a large Quarterly meeting in nine years. During those years one minister moved to Red Cedar, and three developed their gifts, and were recorded ministers. Many who were here during those nine years have moved to other parts. A number have passed to their eternal rewards. The few who remain, with those who are with them now; in 1892, have cause to bless God for his over ruling care and providence of us in those early days, and for his goodness and mercy and blessing that has been to us, and over us to the present time. Then let us unite in saying, “Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.” Amen.
