LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA

The earliest settlement in 76 township by a member of the U. B. Church that I can find a record of was John McGrew who came in 1837, settling in the southern part of the township and later moved to a farm in the High Prairie community in the north part of 76 township.

After McGrew other settlers came and as the news of Iowa's fine climate, rich prairie lands, fine streams of water abounding in fish, and abundance of game drifted back to Indiana and Ohio where in order to secure a farm home years of hard toil was required to clean the land of the heavy timber before crops could be railed, others were stirred by the wonderful reports from Iowa and during the early 1840s migration was on in earnest. During this time, with minds for great adventure, came Jonathan Heeker, Jacob J. Snyder, J. S. Riggs, Levin Earles, J. M. Shellabarger, Thomas Shellabarger, Joseph Parsons, John Fullmer and many others who were not members of the United Brethren Church. The above named men did not leave their religious faith in the eastern states but as soon as cabins could be erected for homes religious services were held open to all who would come. Later a log building was put up in the northeast corner of the farm now owned by Kenneth McColm, which was used for school purposes and preaching service. As the groves were God's first temples, so many camp and basket meetings were held and largely attended.

About 1850 a movement was started looking toward a house of worship to be centrally located. The country was being settled quite rapidly by people of all faiths: Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, and Methodists. The members of these different denominations joined with the United Brethren, who were the most numerous, and agreed on the building of a church to be known as the United Brethren in Christ, the church building to be called Otterbein Chapel. This was to be open to any evangelical service when not in use by the United Brethren.

In 1854 this chapel was completed. J. M. Shellabarger gave the land. The building was of brick about 36' by 56'. The bricks were made and burned on the land of John Fullmer about a quarter of a mile east and north of where the church was built, the location of the church being on the east side of the Cranston Cemetery. John Shellabarger, father of J. M. Shellabarger, gave $450.00, the largest single subscription, and his name was written on a newly molded brick and was laid in the south end of the church wall and when the old church was torn down this brick was saved and is now in the possession of a great grandson, A. C. Hunter. It is with regret the writer must here say there is no record, to his knowledge, of just when Otterbein Chapel was dedicated nor who was the Church Bishop and Presiding Elder. It may be in the annual conference proceedings of 1854 but they are not available to the writer at this time. Under the north half of the newly erected church was a basement fitted up for a school room which was used for school purposes until 1866. It may be of interest to some to know that John Fullmer, now of Ottumwa, son of John Fullmer, one of the charter members of the church, is the only person known to be living who was a resident of the community in 1854. (Also Miller Riggs, son of John S. Riggs, who is now living on the old homestead on High Prairie.) John Fullmer attended school in the basement, one of his teachers being R. H. McCampbell, who later was county superintendent and then county auditor. The teacher of the first term of school was Martha Lovrey. M. J. Shellabarger and Jessie A. Hunter were pupils of hers.

The school district paid the church trustees $3.00 per month for the use of the basement.

The first meeting of the board was held January 10, 1856 at John M. Shellabarger's. Members present were John M. Shellabarger, Jacob Snyder, Joseph Parsons and John McGrew. On motion Jacob Snyder was made president of the board and John M. Shellabarger secretary. In 1861 the board of trustees was composed of J. J. Snyder, Jonathan Meeker, J. M. Shellabarger, John Fullmer, and John McGrew. From 1861 to 1865 was a strenuous time for this struggling church community. From the family of Jonathan Meeker went three stalwart sons in response to the call of President Lincoln for volunteers to put down the rebellion: Will Henry, J. W., and Thomas Meeker. From Thomas Shellabarger's family, three--David W., Martin, and Ephraim. From the Jacob J. Snyder family went three sons--George, Abraham, and Samuel. Jonathan Weaver, B. F. Chapman, and John Geiger, married and with families, enlisted besides John W. Brookhart, John Eckles, James Eckles, Wm. Fullmer, John Richards, and James Richards, making eighteen from the immediate members of the United Brethren families. Thirty-eight other young men were called from 76 and Cedar townships and a few moments reflection will show what a loss of 56 young men in the prime of life taken from a community would mean. After those long years of war were ended and the boys (not all of them) came home, the old church became a center of activities. The Sunday School and Church attendance was large and of interest was at high tide. Preaching services were taken up at Letts, High Prairie, and Sand Prairie School Houses. Later a parsonage and a church were built at Letts and St. John chapel at High Prairie.

Letts was made a station by the annual conference. Sand Prairie services were closed. Removals and deaths finally caused the abandonment of St. John, most of the members transferring to the Cranston church.

After the building of the Milwaukee railroad, and the establishment of the village of Cranston, on account of the need of extensive repairs to Otterbein Chapel, the church membership decided it would be wiser to build a new church in the village of Cranston and this decision was carried out so that just 50 years from the time the Otterbein Chapel was built, in 1904 this church in which we worship today was erected during the pastorate of H. E. Richardson. That same year a parsonage was build in Ardon but a few years later when it became fully known that its location was a grave mistake, the building was moved to Cranston. Adverse forces have beseiged this little band of worshipers from the first. They had hardly recovered from the effect of financial contribution during the Civil War and the resultant depression when in June 1882 a tornado blew nearly half the roof from the Otterbein Chapel. The walls and floor were deranged by the deluge of water, necessitating heavy expense for repairs and the writer must ask the indulgence of hearers to say that at one time when the spiritual flame seemed almost gone there was one found faithful who refused to surrender, Miss Maud Meeker, now Mrs. Oscar Chapman. At one time she was class leader, Sunday School Superintendent, organist and chorister, and teacher prior to the building of the Cranston church. Success cannot always be measured in dollars and cents. From this organization have gone out into the world four young men to carry the message of "peace, good will to men"--John D. and Abraham Richards and John and James Eckles. These have all closed their earthly careers. These church pioneers and their sons and daughters who came to Iowa prior to 1850 have gone the way of all the earth. Much could be said of the present generation who have taken up the work of their forefathers and are carrying on, but that would not be history and this was to be a historical sketch not too long to tire you good people in its reading, and will close by listing the ministers so far as known who have served this charge. They are not all in the order of service.

Rev. Henry, Rev. Rhinehart, Rev. Lindsey, Rev. Bowman, Rev. A. W. Geeslin, Rev. H. B. Potter, Rev. R. W. Kaufman, Rev. Samson Sutton, Rev. Luther Hovey, Rev. E. 5. Bunce, Rev. D. M. Hartsough, Rev. M. M. Taylor, Rev. D. H. Snoke, Rev. R. Collier, Rev. J. W. Taylor, Rev. Wm. Cunningham, Rev. Underwood, Rev. Lefler, Rev. C. M. Brooke, Rev. Kenhart, Rev. Richardson, Rev. Bundy, Rev. Harper, Rev. D. N. Scott, Rev. Breau, Rev. Lewis, Rev. Berry, Rev. Fercy, Rev. Harkins, Rev. ballard, Rev. Stice, Rev. Jamison, Rev. Fleming, Rev. Nelson, Rev. Shaffer, Rev. Hougham, Rev. Decker, and Rev. Suckow. Of these pastors, Rev. Shaffer, now of Des Moines, who is present today, served the longest time, being here for ten years. While on this pastorate Rev. Shaffer used some of the lumber that was salvaged from the old Otterbein Chapel and built a rocking chair and presented it to Aunt Marie Meeker who was a long and faithful member of the church.