The Pilgrims of Iowa
Congegational Home Missionary Society

Missions & Pilgrim Ministers
Misc.

Clayton co. 1843-1911

It is great pity that we must crowd the great histories of our churches into the little nutshells of this chapter. Suggestions of what might be written of many of these churches may be found in the things that have been written concerning some of them in preceding chapters.

The list, alphabetically arranged with dates of organizations, names of pastors, etc., is substantially complete, only a few being omitted, and those of no significance. The number of the list if four hundred and seventy-one.

No doubt those familiar with the churches of the state will be surprised at the number of unfamiliar names here recorded. More than one-third of these churches are not now in existence. Some never had anything more than a name to live. Some died in good health and without cause or reason expecting unwillingness to bear the responsibilities of life. Many that dropped out by the way justified themselves in their living, and in their dying too. Some died to live in other churches, sometimes in churches of other names. The loss by death is not nearly as great as appearances would seem to indicate. This list of churches, names of pastors, and date of dedications represent decades and even centuries of consecrated toil and sacrifice with great forces intellectual, moral and spiritual, working for the making of the commonwealth, the leavening of the nation, and the saving of the world.

Bethel

January 22, 1905. Came from Cumberland Presbyterian. Yoked with Colesburg.

Edgewood (Yankee Settlement)

(1848-1858), York (1858-1876) since then Edgewood:  Organized March 5, 1848.  Pastors, E.B. Turner, 1848-1853, H.N. Gates, A. Graves, L.P. Mathews, B.M. Amsden, Charles Hancock, P. Gorton, A.S. Kaye, D.D. Kidd, J.W. Elser, S.R. Batty, A.J. Benton, H.J. Richardson, M. J. P. Thing.  Dedications 1854 and 1892

Elkader

A church organized March, 1855.  Never had a regular pastor; few supplies; lived ten years.  Reorganized August 5, 1894, F.L. Fisk, G.W. Baxter, A.S. Hock, J.G. Dickey and M.L. Stimson, Dedication, June 20, 1897.

Elk

November 19, 1886. Yoked with Edgewood. Survived only five or six years.

Farmersburg

November, 1845.  J.R. Upton, M.M. Wakeman, E.C. Downs, Joel Battey, W.S. Potwin. Disbanded, 1884.

Farmersburg German

September 3, 1853. C.V. Hess and J. Killan.

Garnavillo (Jacksonville)

August 1, 1844.  J.J. Hill, 1844-1850, O. Littlefield, L.P. Matthews, 1855-1863, G.M. Porter, B.A. Dean, B. Kings, E.C. Downs, Joel Battey and W.S. Potwin.  Dedication, December 5, 1847 and June 23, 1867.  No pastor after 1884.  Disbanded in 1888.  Church building standing.  Used for neighborhood Sunday School and occasional services.

Jefferson

1851. Yoked with Wayne and Brighton. Services infrequent and irregular.  Died in 1870.

[note: Jefferson is not identified with a county in the book and there are other Jefferson's in other Iowa counties; so this may or may not be a Clayton co. entry]

McGregor

January 4, 1857.  Joseph Bloomer, T.A. Wadsworth, H.G. McArthur, S.P. Sloan, (1860-1870), D.R. McNabb, S.F. Millikan, C.C. Cragin, J.E. Bissell, C.A. Marshall, 1887-1900, B.W. Burleigh, G.A. Francis, W.E. Mann and S.T. Kidder.  Dedication, October 28, 1860, rededication, February 20, 1868 and again January 3. 1904.

Monona

February 17, 1855.  D.B. Davidson, J.R. Upton, J.M. Smith, P. Litts, W.S. Potwin, A.H. Campbell, F. Elliott, A.A. Young, W.H. Klose, S.T. Beatty, J.E. Grinell, B.H. Cheney. Dedications, December 19, 1866 and January 3, 1904.  An earlier Monona, starting in 1849, A.M. Eastman, pastor, 1849-1852.

Osterdock

December 22, 1904. Yoked with Colesburg

Strawberry Point

February 14, 1872.  B.M. Amsden, Charles Hancock, P. Gorton, I.N. Tomes, J. Chandler, W.H. Kaufman, J.G. Aikman, M. Barrett, G.O. Smith, J.W. Buck, C.L. Snowden, V.F. Brown, D.O. Bean, A. Marsh, F.A. Dean, C.E. Drew, O.M. Van Swearingen.  Dedication, March 16, 1884.