Page 16PRESBYTERIANISM IN MUSCATINE
1839-1942OUR FIRST MINISTER
John Stocker was the first Christian minister to settle in Muscatine, Iowa. He arrived in Muscatine, February 1839, before the town of Bloomington was organized as a second class town. Our first church was organized on the 6th day of July, 1839. Mr. Walton insists that ours was the first Christian church in the city. Because of a controversy then existing in the councils of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America known as the “Old and New School Division,” the infant church did not become affiliated with either faction until February 2nd, 1842. For that reason the records of our church with the General Assembly begin in 1842, not 1839. As this rift in the Christian fellowship of the National Church finally split our infant church in two factions, we should know some of the causes which led up to the separation. Early in the century a plan was adopted known as the “Plan of Union.” This scheme allowed Congregational ministers to serve Presbyterian Churches and vice versa. In 1827 the right to vote in the General Assembly was taken from the delegates of the Congregational Association and by 1830 their representation therein ceased. Contributions of many churches to Home Missions were made to the American Missionary Society and to Foreign Missions to the American Board. A large number of the strictly sectarian Presbyterians insisted that the church should maintain its own mission boards. Those opposed to the establishment of denominational agencies belonged to the party known as the “New School;” those who advocated it, to the “Old School.” The best authorities, however, are of the opinion that the main issues which divided the church were those related to constitutional law and general missionary policy. This controversy reached Muscatine in 1840.
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This was the condition of things when Reverend Stocker arrived in Muscatine. The town had not yet been organized. The total population was only 71 persons, including men, women and children, and Mr. J. P. Walton’s History informs us that there were no “old maids or widows in so-called Bloomington at that time. Whenever a husband died, the bachelors like an army stepped up to take his place. Most of the girls were married before they were 16 years of age and marriage for the bride at the age of 14 years was common.” There were only thirty-three buildings in the town, including houses, stables and stores and only two of them were north of Papoose Creek (now Sycamore Street). There was no public building unless the “grocery store” as the saloon was then called, could be considered one.
The first election in the town was held that year on May 6th at which there were forty votes cast. By the terms of the so-called “Black Hawk Purchase” the Indians were supposed to have abandoned a strip along the Mississippi River in Iowa by the 1st of June, 1833, and it was agreed by the terms of the treaty that the land was to be an uninhabited barrier protecting the settlers of Illinois and Wisconsin from any future Indian attacks. Regardless of this treaty not even the dictates of religion could restrain the white man from crossing the river to seize upon the choicest spots for villages and farms. They were trespassers in the eyes of the law (“squatters” they were called by those who pretended to despise them), but these pioneers entertained the highest respect for each other and organized neighborhood claim associations to protect their holdings until the United States was ready to accept their money and give them legal title to the land. Thousands of people cut loose from their old associations of the East to brave the dangers of this new frontier life. Naturally there was a scum on the crest of this immigration wave from the East, a rough licentious element that caused this territory to be designated by the people of the East as “the wild and woolly West.”
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John A. Parvin, one of the organizers of the Methodist class in 1839, speaking at the first quarterly meeting of the Methodist Episcopal Church held in Bloomington, now Muscatine, on October 3rd, 1840, as Recording Steward wrote as follows:
“Here in these ends of the earth, the country new, the town small, but few members in class, and we all appear to think too much of this world’s goods and too little of our soul’s salvation. There are two organized societies in Bloomington, the Methodist and the Presbyterians. The citizens are very much addicted to Sabbath breaking, grog drinking, gambling, swearing, etc. O Thou who holds the destiny of nations and individuals in Thy hand, send salvation to Bloomington!”
On July 6th, 1839, John Stocker organized at the home of Stephen Whicher a church consisting of the following named persons: his own wife, Elizabeth Stocker, H. Q. Jennison and wife, Samuel Lucas and wife, Stephen Whicher and wife, Erastus Scofield and Harvey Gillett. Harvey Gillett was his first convert and was admitted to the church on confession of his faith at that meeting. They designated the name of their church as “The First Presbyterian Church of Musquitine County, Iowa Territory.” It was supported for several years by the American Home Missionary Society which contributed approximately $1,200.00 to keep us alive in our infancy. We should remember this when we make our own contributions to the church boards. It is a debt we owe to others. A sacred trust and “The great commission.”
This church was wholly unaffiliated with either the “Old or New School” until February 2nd, 1842. Whether this meeting declared its intention of affiliating with the “Old or New School,” it is impossible to say. In the History of Muscatine County, Iowa, compiled by the Western Historical Company in 1879, on page 528, it is stated:
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“In the formation of this Church, the intention was declared to be connected, in case of a division of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States, with that part, which united in exscinding the Synod of Geneva and others in 1837.”
In Reverend E. L. Belden’s sermon, hereinafter quoted, he states the exact opposite to be the fact. So we content ourselves by saying that we were an unaffiliated Presbyterian Church under the auspices and care of the American Home Missionary Society until February 2nd, 1842. Because of this fact we are not rated in the history entitled “One Hundred Years of Iowa Presbyterian Church” as one of the so called “Nine Immortal Churches.’ Nevertheless we take pride in the following facts recorded in the History of the Presbyterian Church in Iowa, 1837-1900, compiled by Joseph W. Hubbard, D. D.:
“THE FIRST PRESBYTERY—IOWA In the fall of 1840 these nine churches were set off from Schuyler Presbytery and the Presbytery of Iowa was formed. The Presbytery met as directed, at Bloomington (Muscatine) and organized November 6, 1840.
Roll: L. G. Bell, who preached the opening sermon; Michael Hummer, first Moderator; John Mark Fulton, Enoch Mead.
Received by Certificate: John Stocker and Salmon Cowles. Churches enrolled, nine, as before named.
THE FIRST SYNOD—IOWA In 1851 to pave the way for a new Synod the Synod of Illinois divided the Presbytery, making three: Iowa, Cedar, Des Moines. In 1852 the General Assembly created The Synod of Iowa.
This Synod met and organized at Muscatine, October 14, 1852 Father Bell, Moderator.”
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Perhaps no man in Muscatine County made as great an effort to place of record the early history of the county and the early pioneers as did J. P. Walton. In his history entitled, “Scraps of Muscatine History,” published in 1893, we find the following paper recorded, which we quote verbatim as follows:
MUSCATINE’S PIONEER PREACHER Read by J. P. Walton Before the Semi-Centenary of the First Presbyterian Church, of Muscatine, Iowa, April 28th, 1892.
In February 1839 the year that Rev. John Stocker came to our little village, now Muscatine, the census showed a population of but seventy-one, mostly men—a few women, with but four or five children.
I have often wondered why something more was not said or written about schools in that year. The small number of children I presume was the cause of the silence.
Bloomington, the name of our village, had but thirty-three buildings all told, including houses, stables and stores, about all situated south of Papoose creek. There was no public building, unless the “grocery store” could be considered one.
All the religious meetings were held in private houses, or in the grove. The bar-room of Kinney’s hotel was frequently used for holding religious services. At that time there was no resident minister. Rev. John Stocker was the first to locate here; he was the pioneer preacher in every sense of the word.
In the brief ten minutes allotted to me I will try and describe him and some of his surroundings as I recollect them or have been informed about them.
He was a small, light built man of about thirty years of age, genial, affable and social, always at home with any...
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... proper company that he was placed in, and always made all about him feel that he was no burden to them.
Mrs. Stocker was a tall, slim, spare built, strong-minded woman, haughty and aristocratic so far as she was able to be, but very much of a lady to those she considered her equal.
If any one had any doubts about the blindness of Cupid this couple would certainly dispel their doubts. The one usually considered the stronger one, was a mild, passive and obedient little husband; the other was clearly the opposite. I have been told that when Mr. Stocker was building their little house, that he was troubled to get hired help to work for him, unless Mrs. Stocker would preside at the table, a favor she refused to confer. In those early days everybody was expected to get their dinner, or their dinner and supper, where they did their work. Mrs. Stocker would prepare their meals, put them on the table, but disliked very much to sit down with the hired help.
You will pardon me for spending so much time on Mrs. Stocker so early in these reminiscences, but it is said that all married men have two halves and that one half is better than the other. In practical life if we use the best first we are always using the best.
Mr. Stocker was a native of Vermont. He thought, as the Hon. Stephen A. Douglass once said, “Vermont is a good state to be born in and a good one to emigrate from.” So he came west “clear to the very front.” History tells us that he was a member of the Old School Presbytery of Logansport, Ind., and that he organized a Presbyterian society in our town, and when the school house was built in 1840 they occupied it alternately with the Methodists until 1845. It was said at that time, in 1845, the Hon. S. Clinton Hastings got control of the school house and turned it over to the Methodists. The Presbyterians then took shelter in the Episcopal church.
Mr. Stocker held services all over the county. He had a regular appointment at Mr. Thomas Burdett’s, two ...
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... miles east of the city. In moderate weather the meetings were held in the shade of a large tree just west of the house. The congregation had no hymn books, so Mr. Stocker would have to line the hymns for them.
He officiated at the funerals and solemnized the marriages. The first wedding I attended in Iowa was in a large cabin standing near the river on Col. Hare’s farm, some three miles east of the city. Mr. Stocker was the officiating minister. The bride was but fourteen years of age. She would be considered too young at this time; then girls were not allowed to get old. It is said that in 1840 there were but two unmarried young ladies in our town. I don’t know who they were but I can say they did not remain unmarried long.
For nearly three years Mr. Stocker had a monopoly of the preaching. “There was none his right to dispute.” Brother George Bumgardner, a class leader, living some five miles in the country, was the only local minister we can recollect. The circuit rider would frequently make his call; but I think that none of them resided here.
In the spring of 1839 when the Mathews brothers and families came here the Episcopal society was first organized, the late Suel Foster has said, “very early in the spring.”
On the 6th day of July, 1839, Mr. Stocker organized the Presbyterian society and in the same July a Methodist class was organized. The late John A. Parvin claimed it was previous to the Presbyterian, but he does not give the date, which in order to maintain priority he should have done.
This Presbyterian organization did not join with either of the different wings of the parent church until Feb. 2nd, 1842. Mr. Stocker ministered to them from 1839 until 1845. In 1842 a large portion of his members left and connected themselves with the New School branch and continued there until 1845, when they were finally dis- ...
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... solved. How these dissenters fared after leaving Mr. Stocker in February, 1842, until November, 1843, when Mr. Robbins came here and gathered them up, is more than I can tell.
In looking over an old newspaper of Nov. 10th, 1843, I find the following:
“The Muscatine County Bible Society met at the school house Friday evening, Nov. 3rd, 1843. Rev. John Stocker in the chair—called to order and opened with prayer.
The directors and treasurer made their annual reports, which were read and adopted. On motion the following persons were elected officers for the ensuing year:
John Stocker, president.
I. P. VanHagan, John Sherfey, Joseph Jean, Dr. Landon and Stephen Ney, vice presidents.
John A. Parvin, treasurer.
Pliney Fay, secretary.
Thomas Burdett and J. C. Irwin were elected associate directors with the president and secretary.
On motion of J. A. Parvin it was,
Resolved, That the president and vice presidents and the Rev. Mr. Norris be a committee to ascertain what families in the several townships in the county are destitute of the word of God and report the names of such to the executive committee, in order that they may be supplied by the society.
On motion of William Brownell it was,
Resolved, That the general diffusion of the Holy Scriptures throughout our county tends to perpetuate our civil and religious institutions.
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On motion of John A. Parvin, William Brownell was appointed to deliver a lecture before the society on the first Sunday in January 1844.
On motion of Edward E. Fay it was,
Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Bloomington Herald.
On motion adjourned to the first Sunday in January 1844.
PLINY FAY, Sec., M.C.B.S.Mr. Norris spoken of was undoubtedly the Methodist minister. It is not certain that he lived in the town as Mr. Fay does not seem to be able to give the initials of his name.
In the same column of the Bloomington Herald immediately below, with only a dash between, occurs the following:
“NOTICE.—The Rev. Mr. Robbins, Congregationalist, will preach at the court house on Sunday next, at half past ten o’clock a. m.”
This was undoubtedly Mr. Robins’ first service in this city and the first Congregational service ever held in the county. Dr. Robbins says he preached his first Iowa sermon on Nov. 6th in Burlington. I conclude the Doctor was not present at the meeting that Mr. Stocker presided over, for he would have taken some part if he had been there.
I mention this notice from the fact that many of the older Congregationalists were disposed to date their organization July 6th, 1839, under Rev. Mr. Stocker, which to me, an outsider, appears quiet irregular. They could with much propriety date their history back to the 9th day of Nov., 1843, when the first notice appeared in the Bloomington Herald.
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Mr. Stocker stopped preaching for this church in 1845, but he remained in the town until his death, some two or three years later.
About the time of the division of his flock, in 1842, there was an effort made to starve him out; but many outsiders came to his relief. They donated material and labor to help him build a house, together with supplies to live on. They had no especial care for him or his preaching, but he came here early and was the only preacher here, and they proposed to help him to stay.
Mrs. Stocker survived her husband a few years and taught school, according to Col. Horton (one of her pupils) in the energetic old way, in a small frame building where the Third Ward hose house now stands. At her death she left the little property worth a few hundred dollars to this church.
We are loth to bid adieu to our venerable brother, leaving the impression that the events of his life were always sorrowful or calculated to keep one sober. To remove any impression of that nature we will venture to relate a story told us by an old settler.
On one occasion Mr. Stocker had an appointment to hold a meeting in a log cabin beyond Cedar river. The cabin belonged to an old Scotchman, we presume a brother Presbyterian. The cabin had but one room; across the ends were the beds. Rails were placed in front for seats. The women sat on the beds, the men on the rails. The other end of the room was mostly occupied by the big chimney and large hearth. The appointment of the meeting appears to have occurred at the time the old Scotch lady was coloring stocking yarn. The coloring material was in a large iron pot setting in front of one the jambs of the fire place; live coals were frequently shoveled under to keep it hot. It was covered with a piece of board not much larger than the pot.
The attendance at the meeting was larger than the seating. Shortly after meeting began, a young man came ...
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... in with his girl. They most likely came on horseback; perhaps both were riding one horse, a custom very common in the country at that time. The girl secured a seat on the bed, while the young man had to stand up. The old Scotchman suggested that he be seated on the pot in which the yarn was being colored. Not wishing to stand up, he availed himself of the seat. He had on a fine pair of nankeen pants, a kind of cloth considered very much better than the linsy woolsy worn by most of those present; also a fine pair of boots. The sermon most likely did not interest him very much, so he stretched out his feet to admire his boots. All at once the board slipped in. The young man jumped and started for the door. The meeting was at an end.
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