BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL RECORD OF
RINGGOLD AND DECATUR COUNTIES, IOWA
Lewis Pub. Co. Chicago. 1887

CHURCHES

Unknown Church, Decatur City, Iowa
 

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL SOCIETY
The METHODIST EPISCOPAL SOCIETY is the oldest in Leon. The first class was formed February 14, 1851, at JOHN JORDAN'S house, in Eden Township, with these seven members: JOHN PATTERSON and wife, WILLIAM BURT and wife, ABNER HARBOUR, ISHMAEL BARNES and LEVI CLARK. MR. JORDAN and wife retained their membership in a church south of the Missouri line, but after a time joined the little band of worshipers at Leon. MRS. WILLIAM MCELVAIN joined a month after the organization. For eight years meetings were held in private houses, principally in that of JOHN PATTERSON, who continued as leader of the class for thirty-five years, only giving up the position early in 1886. In 1859 the present house of worship was built, at a cost of $1,500. It was used for some years as a public-school building, and when after this it was repaired and refitted, the added cost was $800. The following is a list of the pastors who have been in charge, with years of service:

REVS. JOHN RALLS, 1855-'6; J.L. SIMMS, 1856-'7; JOHN DAIR, 1857-'8; JACOB DELAY, 1858-'60; D. WILLIAMS, 1860-'1; SAMUEL FARLOW, 1861-'3; BENJAMIN SHINN, 1863-'4; J.R. CAREY, 1864-'5; DAVID O. STUART, 1865-'6; WILLIAM HESSWOOD, 1866-'7; GEORGE P. BENNETT, 1867-'9; RICHARD THORNBURG, 1869-'70; J.C.R. LAYTON, 1870-'2; S. GUIRE, 1872-'3; WILSON, 1873-'5; A.P. HULL, 1875-'7; D.M. MCINTIRE, 1877-'9; WILLIAM PLESTED, 1879-'80; A. BROWN, 1880-'3; W.H. SHIPMAN, 1883-'6.

J.F. PENNIWELL is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has an attendance of 150. The membership of the church is not far from 180.
 

CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH was organized in 1857, among the leading members being JOHN W. WARNER, MR. GILLAM, W.P. BLAIR, ROBERT PATTERSON and GEORGE T. YOUNG, with their families. They met in the court-house on alternate Sunday mornings for four years, and then discontinued services. REV. MR. POST was their only pastor.
 

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
The CHURCH OF CHRIST was organized the first Sunday in June, 1854. The early members were: JOHN GARDNER and wife, CHRISTINA A. GARDNER, FRANKLIN GARDNER, J.C. PORTER and wife, ANNA BRADFIELD, CATHERINE GARDNER, WILSON I. GARDNER, ANNA THATCHER, JACOB WITTER AND wife, REUBEN SHAKELFORD and wife, ANDREW MCELVAIN, J. MCELVAIN and wife, JOHN W. GARDNER and wife, W.W. ELLIS and wife, DR. J.R. MCCLELLAND and wife, DANIEL BRADLY and wife and NANCY WELDON. The house of worship used by this church was erected in 1867, at a cost of $4,000. It is 40 x 60 feet in size, and is on Main Street, three blocks south of the court-house square. The parsonage, built later, cost $1,000. REV. J.C. PORTER was pastor of the church for the first eighteen or twenty years after its organization. Since then there have been REVS. JOHN POLLY, W.B. FISK, O.E. BROWN, J.C. LEVEY, T.V. BERRY, JAMES GASTON, A.B. CORNELL, S.H. HEDRIX and others. The present preacher is REV. H.A. LEMON.

The membership is 150. DR. J.R. MCCLELLAND, L.W. HEBENER and J. KIRKPATRICK are elders; W.J. DARR, ANDREW KEMP, J. CHASTAIN and HORACE BROWN, deacons; REV. H.A. LEMON, clerk. ANDREW KEMP is superintendent and LOU BALDWIN secretary of the Sunday-school, which has an average attendance of fifty-nine.
 

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH was formed June 2, 1866, in the Methodist Church, the first members being FRANCIS and MARY VARGA, W.H. SMITH, THOMAS AND MARY BALDWIN, FIDELIA F. THOMPSON, ROBERT and KETURAH KINNEAR, MARGARET STONE, W.W. and REBECCA J. MORE, W.P. BLAIR, MARY A. BLAIR, MARY E. YOUNG and MARTHA E. AVERY. The members sent here to organize the church were W.C. HOLLYDAY and JAMES RICE. W.P. BLAIR was elected elder, and FRANCIS VARGA and W.H. SMITH deacons. The meetings were first held monthly in the old school-house. After 1869 they were held on alternate Sundays, one preacher serving both this and the Grand River Church. In 1871 their house of worship was erected on Commercial Street, two blocks east of Main. It cost $7,000 in all. Services were held in the basement until the upper portion was completed.

The pastors that have been in charge at Leon are shown in this list: REVS. D.S. HUGHES, R.J. BURT, A.A. MATHES, F. REA, C.M. DES ISLETS, CYRUS JOHNSON and W.C. CORT. The last named, the present pastor, commenced his labors here in September, 1884. The elders of the church are CALVIN JOHNSON, FRANCIS VARGA, GEORGE T. YOUNG, E.S. YOUNG, and H.R. LAYTON; deacons, GEORGE MILLER and JOHN SMITH; trustees, FRANCIS VARGA, S.A. GATES, MRS. MARY WARNER, MRS. ANNA ALLEN and GEORGE MILLER; clerk, FRANCIS VARGA. The present membership of the church is 129, fifty having been added in 1885.
 

THE BAPTIST CHURCH
The BAPTIST CHURCH first held services four miles southeast of Leon, some years before the war. The meeting place was shortly removed to town. Among the members were MR. and MRS. BURNS, MRS. HAMMER, SAMUEL C. THOMPSON, ROBERT E. DYE and wife. REV. JOHN WOODARD preached for the little congregation for some years just before the war, and then the organization went down. About 1867 REV. CAKE preached for one year. Afterward came REV. MORTON and REV. TILLBURY, but between these there was an interim of inactivity. The present organization dates from Nov. 1, 1879, and REV. FREELAND EDWARDS has been in charge all the time. Among the members who aided in the re-organization were ROBERT E. DYE and wife, MRS. HAMMER, MR. and MRS. BURNS, WARREN COLE and wife, N.P. BULLOCK and wife, C.M. MURRY and S.P. NOTT and wife. The society rented a hall over Bowman's harness shop until it built its church in 1883, on the second block east of the square. It is a frame structure and cost, with furnishings, $3,500. Services are now held every Sunday, formerly every two weeks. For four years the church received $100 annually from the Home Mission Society, but now it is self-supporting. The membership at present writing is eighty-four. LEANDER BECHTOL is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which is attended by from eighty to ninety pupils. The deacons of the church are ROBERT E. DYE, JONATHAN HAMILTON and LEVI MITCHELL; clerk, C.M. MURRY; treasurer, LEANDER BECHTOL; trustees, ROBERT E. DYE, JONATHAN HAMILTON and N.P. BULLOCK.
 
The oldest Church building in Leon was erected as the First Baptist Church in 1883.
On March 6, 1921, the church building was purchased by the members of the Church of Christ.
Photograph Courtesy of Decatur County Historical Society Museum
 
Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
 
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