SOME EARLY PREACHERS AND LATE CHURCH STATISTICS.

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It is almost impossible to get anything accurate concerning the early ministers of the county. The main reason, perhaps, is that there were scarcely any of them located here in the early days. Those who came, preached a sermon or two and left; they left little or no record behind them. Besides, it seems they were quite scarce among the pioneers. Reverend Reuben Gaylord, who was one of the early Congregational preachers in this territory, said in 1841: "The farmer, the meamongst the army of pioneers."

One of the very earliest ministers in Louisa county was James R. Ross, who married Benjamin Stoddard and Sarah Bevins on June 15, 1838, but we do not know whether or not Mr. Ross was located here for any length of time. He was an elder in the Church of God and came here from Kentucky, as will be seen by the paper recorded in the first record book of the county, which is given in chapter seven. The histories of Columbus City and Wapello and Grandview contain references to most of the pioneer preachers of whom we have any record. From the conference records of the Methodist church we get the names of the ministers of that denomination who were stationed at nearby points in early years, and it is probable that some or all of them at different times preached in this county. In 1840 these records show that Isaac S. Stewart was at Burlington. Thomas L. Kirkpatrick at Mt. Pleasant, Joseph L. Kirkpatrick at Crawfordsville. and Nathan Jewett at Bloomington (Muscatine) ; and that in 1841 Rev. Stewart was at Burlington, Daniel G. Cartwright and Moses F. Shinn were at Mt. Pleasant, John Hayden at Crawfordsville, and Joseph L. Kirkpatrick at Bloomington. In 1842 Joseph L. Kirkpatrick was at Grandview and John Hayden at Crawfordsville. In 1843 Micajah Reeder was at Crawfordsville, Joseph L. Kirkpatrick at Yellow Springs, and Luther McVay at Grandview. In 1844 Reeder and Kirkpatrick had the same stations as in 1843, and Laban Case was at Grandview. In 1845 Robert Rice was at Wapello, Michael See at Yellow Springs, and Sidney Wood at Grandview. In 1846 Robert Rice was at Crawfordsville, and John H. Dennis at Grandview. The others, so far as we have any record of them, will be found in the history of the different localities. Another early preacher was George M. Hinkle, who had a ferry on the Iowa river a few miles north of Wapello. Another was Hezekiah Johnson, who performed a number of marriage ceremonies in the early days here. Others, some of whose names appear elsewhere in this work, were Rev. Fisk, a Presbyterian minister and school teacher; Solomon Cowles, Hiram Smith, George C. Vincent, Charles Burnham, Jackson Duff, Dan W. Ellidge. L. B. Dennis, F. R. S. Byrd, Josiah Vertrees, John Holmes. Alexander Blaikie. Elijah Lathrop. Then there was Jeremiah Smith, father of ...

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... James R. Smith. Another was E. B. Tripp, better known as Benjamin Tripp, who afterwards went west and became a Mormon elder, attaining very high rank in the church.

At a somewhat later period Rev. G. N. Power, brother of Judge J. C. Power of Burlington, was stationed at Toolesboro for a while.

In this connection it may be of interest to give the statistics of the census of Louisa county taken in 1905, in regard to the religious belief of those over ten years of age: Advent. 14; Baptists, 151; Catholic, 233; Christadelphians, 2; Christians, 278; Christian Science, 2; Church of God, 159; Congregational, 185; Disciples of Christ, 16; Dunkard, 11; Episcopal, 21; Evangelical, 136; Friend, 5; Holiness, 15; Jewish, 1; Latter Day Saints, 1; Liberal, 2: Lutheran, 71; Menonites, 3; Methodists, 1,761; Orthodox, 1; Plymouth Brethren, 2; Presbyterians, 1,272; Protestant, 54; Reformed, 137; Salvation Army, 4; Spiritualist, 11 : Unitarian, 1; United Brethren, 282; Universalist, 10. There were 7,793 for whom no returns were made.

The following church statistics for Louisa county are taken from the census of 1905:

Number of Congregations

Catholic, 1; Christian, 2; Congregational, 2; Free Methodist, 1; Methodist (Episcopal), 11; Presbyterian, 5: United Brethren, 2; United Presbyterian, 2. Total, 26.

Number of Churches

Catholic, 1; Christian, 2; Congregational, 2; Free Methodist, 1; Methodist (Episcopal), 11; Presbyterian, 5; United Brethren, 2: United Presbyterian, 2. Total, 26.

Value

Catholic, $1,000; Christian, $11,000; Congregational, $3,000; Free Methodist, $800; Methodist (Episcopal), $33,000; Presbyterian, $28,700; United Brethren, $6,300; United Presbyterian, $15,000. Total, $98,800.

Seating Capacity

Catholic 150; Christian, 850; Congregational, 360; Free Methodist. 250; Methodist (Episcopal), 3,600; Presbyterian, 1,590; United Brethren, 800; United Presbyterian, 760. Total. 8.360.

Number of Members

Catholic, 60; Christian, 175; Congregational, 145; Free Methodist, 29; Methodist (Episcopal), 1,070; Presbyterian, 550; United Brethren, 213; United Presbyterian. 333. Total, 2,575.

Number of Sunday School Scholars

Catholic, 10; Christian, 70; Congregational, 155; Free Methodist, 30; Methodist (Episcopal), 850; Presbyterian, 440; United Brethren, 184; United Presbyterian, 195. Total. 1.934.

Number of Parsonage

Congregational, 2; Free Methodist, 1; Methodist (Episcopal), 5; Presbyterian. 2; United Brethren, 2; United Presbyterian, 2. Total, 14.

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Value of Parsonages.

Congregational, $2,200; Free Methodist, $600; Methodist (Episcopal), $7,900; Presbyterian, $3,300; United Brethren. $2,600; United Presbyterian, $3,800. Total, $20,400.

Value of Church and Parsonage.

Catholic, $1,000; Christian, $11,000; Congregational, $5,200; Free Methodist, $1,400; Methodist (Episcopal), $40,900; Presbyterian, $32,000; United Brethren. $8,900; United Presbyterian, $18,800. Total, $119,200.

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