HISTORY
OF
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH

MUSCATINE, IOWA

1839-1942

Transcribed by Cheryl Sheets, February 4, 2018

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OUR PASTORS

    JOHN STOCKER, 1839-1845. Born in New Hampshire November 29, 1800. A.B.M. College 1830. Graduated Princeton Theological Seminary 1833. Ordained Evangelist by Presbytery of Long Island on September 18, 1833. Served in Vermont, New York and Indiana from 1833 to 1837. Came to Bloomington (Muscatine) in February 1839. His wife’s name was Elizabeth R. Stocker. Organized First Presbyterian Church of Muscatine County at Bloomington on July 6th, 1839. Received on certificate by First Presbytery of Iowa at Bloomington November 6, 1840. Organized the First Presbyterian Church of Muscatine, Iowa, on February 2nd, 1842. Preached alternately at Muscatine and Iowa City from 1839 to 1841. Died at Muscatine March 17th, 1849. Buried at Greenwood Cemetery.

     F. AUGUSTUS PRATT, 1845-1847. Born in Connecticut in 1817. Graduated from Yale College 1840. Hartford Theological Seminary, 1844. Licensed and ordained at Knoxville, Illinois, 1843. Served at Muscatine from 1845 to 1847; Oskaloosa, 1848 to 1849; Cedar Creek and Edinburg, 1850; Virginia, Dakota, and Minnesota. Died at Mapleton, Minnesota, June 5th, 1900. Aged 83.

     JOHN HUDSON, 1847-1849. Born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1800. Tennessee University 1818; Princeton Theological Seminary, 1821; ordained by the Presbytery of West Lexington, 1824; served at Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee until 1847, at Muscatine 1847-1849, High Prairie and Branch, 1849 to 1852, West Liberty 1853, Sugar Creek and Wapsinonoc 1854-1955, Sugar Creek 1855-1858; Cedar Valley 1858-1858, Fairview 1859-1861, Unity 1860-1861. Died at Keota May 25th, 1891.

     JUSTUS T. UMSTED, D. D., 1850-1853. Born in Pennsylvania January 22, 1820. Graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary 1848. Ordained October 15, 1850, Presbytery of Iowa. Served in Muscatine 1850- ...

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... 1853; Keokuk, 1853-1858; Alabama, Delaware, Pennsylvania. Died Coatsville, Pennsylvania, March 27th, 1896.

     HUGH HUTCHINSON 1853-1853. Licentiate. Served in Muscatine from January to October 1853. Not being a member of Cedar Presbytery Rev. Chas. C. Cummins moderated the session and is given in the official Presbytery list as the stated supply. On September 10th the congregation called by the sole and only Elder, J. S. Horton, voted to call Rev. Hutchinson as pastor which call he declined. In the nine months he served he received ten members on certificate and two on examination. He died a member of Cedar Presbytery in 1855 or 1856.

     SAMUEL J. BAIRD, 1854-1856. Born in Newark, Ohio, 1817. J. C. and C. C. of Kentucky. Ordained Presbytery at Iowa City 1854. Served at Muscatine from 1854-1856; Woodbury, New Jersey, 1857-1865. Moved to Virginia in 1865. Held several pastorates. Died 1892. Age 75.

     JOHN B. STEWART, D.D., 1857-1858. Born in Pennsylvania May 7th 1825. Graduated Washington College 1848; Washington Theological Seminary 1851; Licensed 1851; Ordained 1854, Presbytery of Wooster. Served in Ohio, 1854-1857; Muscatine, 1857-1858; Ohio, 1858-1870; Davenport, 1870-1872; Milwaukee, 1872-1881; Des Moines Central, 1881-1887; California 1888. Died July 22, 1894, at Los Angeles.

     EDWARD L. BELDEN, 1858-1864. Graduated from Washington College 1854; Washington Theological Seminary, 1854-1857; Licensed 1856; Ordained 1858, Presbytery of Cedar Rapids. Served in Muscatine 1858-1864. Teacher and Stated Supply at Mt. Pleasant, 1865-1871. Died at St. Paul, August 22, 1871.

     JOHN ARMSTRONG, D. D., 1864-1874. Born in Oxford, Pennsylvania, in 1825. Graduated from Washington College, Virginia, 1850; Princeton Theological Seminary, 1853; Ordained 1853. Served in Missouri and Pen-...

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...nsylvania until 1864; at Muscatine 1864-1874. President of Parsons College 1875-1879. Died in 1879, age 54. Hubbard’s History tells us that he loved the College, served it ably, and aided it financially. A monument to his memory now stands on Parsons College Campus.

     FULLER P. DALRYMPLE, 1875-1877. Born in New Jersey October 26, 1844. Princeton University 1867; McCormick Theological Seminary 1875; Ordained 1876, Iowa City; Served at Muscatine 1875-1877. Goes to Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. Resided at Shawnee, Pennsylvania, in 1906.

     JOSEPH H. BARNARD, D. D., 1877-1884. Born at Pleasant View, Pennsylvania, on February 9, 1838. A. B. Degree from Lafayette College, 1857; D. D. Hancock College, 1858; Princeton Theological Seminary, 1860. Ordained June 12, 1860, by Presbytery of Huntington. Served at Birmingham, Tyrone, Logan’s Valley, Pennsylvania, 1860; Bellefonte, 1861-1866; Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1866-1870; Kankakee, Illinois, 1870-1877; Muscatine, 1877-1884. Second Church Madison, Indiana, 1884-1906.

     SAMUEL H. PARVIN, 1884-1899. Born in Napoleon, Indiana. Graduated from Knox College, Illinois, 1871; Lane Theological Seminary, 1874. Licensed 1873; Ordained May 1874, Presbytery of Schuyler, Illinois. Served in Illinois, 1874-1884; Muscatine, 1884-1899; Morning Sun, 1900-1903; Perry, Oklahoma, 1904. Died No. Yakima, Washington, June 14th, 1914. Memorial Service held in our church June 21st, 1914.

     JOSEPH N. ELLIOTT, 1899-1911. Born in Ontario, Canada, December 25, 1865. Toronto University, 1889. Knox College, Theological Seminary Canada, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1891. Ordained by Presbytery of Chester, June 15, 1891. Served in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indiana. Served in Muscatine 1899 to 1911 and from here went to the Second Presbyterian Church of Bloomington, Illinois.

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     JOHN BALLARD RENDALL, D. D., 1912-1934. Born in Lincoln University, Chester County, Pennsylvania, on September 8th, 1873. B. A. degree at Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, in 1893; Princeton Theological Seminary 1897. Ordained by Presbytery of Chester 1897. D. D. degree Parsons College, Fairfield, Iowa, June 1913. Served at Atglew and Christiana, Pennsylvania, 1897-1901; Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, 1901-1903; Sharon, Pennsylvania, 1904-1906; Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 1907-1912; Muscatine, Iowa, 1912-1934. The Session Record dated March 12, 1934, reads as follows:

     “Reverend John B. Rendall, the pastor of this church since 1912, died at the Manse at 9:00 A. M. Funeral services were held at the church Wednesday, March 14th, and burial at Mifflintown, Penn., Friday, March 16th. Acts 11:24.”

     DAVID I. BERGER, 1934-1939. Born in Vienna, Austria, on June 13th, 1894. Entered the United States May 1914. Ordained by the Presbytery of Dubuque at Third Presbyterian Church, June 1919 B. D. degree, Dubuque Seminary, June 1921. Master of Religious Education Auburn Seminary, Auburn, New York, June 1927. B. A. degree, University of Dubuque, 1927. PHD degree, University of Dubuque, 1933. Served Third Presbyterian Church of Dubuque, 1919-1924. Taught at Dubuque University as Head of Bible and Christian Education, 1924-1934. Moderator of the Synod of Iowa 1934. Dean of University of Dubuque 1929-1934, Served at Muscatine 1934-1939. Went from here to Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as head of Department of Bible and Dean of Chapel. He still serves there and as a member of the Board of Directors of University of Dubuque.

     HENRY C. SCHNEIDER, D. D., 1939-To Date. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, November 9th, 1893. B. A. University of Dubuque 1917. Graduated Dubuque Theological Seminary, June 2nd, 1920, at 8:00 o’clock P. M., married at noon on June 3rd, 1920. Left immedi-...

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... ately for El Paso, Texas; arrived June 15th; served there until 1924. Served at Breckenridge, Texas, 1924-1928; Carroll, Iowa, 1928-1934. D. D. degree by Dubuque Theological Seminary 1935. Boone, Iowa, 1934-1939. Installed as pastor of our church October 15th, 1939, and still serves in that capacity.

     NOTE: This data down to 1906 taken from Hubbard’s “History of Presbyterian Church in Iowa, 1837-1900.”

OUR MISSIONARIES TO PERSIA

     REVEREND and MRS. PAUL B. SHEDD, 1921 to 1929. We did not support her but we claim her.

FORMER MEMBERS WHO ENTERED THE MINISTRY

     REV. JOHN L. CUMMINS

     REV. JOSEPH HIDDINGS

     REV. CHARLES O. WATERS

     REV. C. T. McCAMPBELL

     REV. STEPHEN A. GILBERT

     REV. KERMIT W. PETERSEN, Calvary Presbyterian Church Peoria, Illinois

     REV. ALFRED C. PETERSEN, Memorial Presbyterian Church Cherokee, Iowa

     MRS. GERALDINE TUTTLE LENKO, Director of Religious Education First Presbyterian Church Elkhart, Indiana

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