One of the two settlements of Friends, or Quakers, in Madison County began in the year 1853, when Jesse Painter and wife settled about midway between the present locations of the towns of Peru and Barney, in the southeast part of the county. This was the beginning of the Friends settlement which later developed into Oak Run Monthly Meeting. The next persons to settle at Oak Run were Thomas and Dosha Moorman, in 1855. Their son, Newton Moorman, is the only member of the family now living in the neighborhood. Another son, Clark (familiarly called Uncle Clark), lived near Oak Run for many years and died at Winterset some years ago. A daughter, Martha, married David Ellis, and another daughter, Mary, married Elwood Hiatt, and lived one and one-half miles northeast of the church until the time of his death. Calvin and Eunice Ellis came here from Ohio in 1865. Reese and Sarah Ann Ellis came in 1871. Their son, T. L. Ellis, was long one of the “standbys” of the church.

The formation of the congregation began with an “indulged meeting” at the home of Thomas Moorman in 1865. A preparative meeting was organized at the home of Calvin Ellis, May 18, 1871, to be known by the name of Oak Run Preparative Meeting. The name was suggested by Calvin Ellis . The meeting was opened by a committee of twelve from Ackworth Monthly Meeting, Warren County. This committee drove over in a big wagon and was entertained at the home of Calvin and Eunice Ellis. The charter members were T. C. and Rhoda Moorman, Elwood and Mary Hiatt, David and Martha Ellis, Calvin and Eunice Ellis, who still reside near the church.¹

The Oak Run Friends met in homes and then in school houses until they built a church which was dedicated in Dec 1889. The Quaker settlement in Ohio township was always small and church membership dwindled as members died or moved away, culminating in the selling of the church building to a Christian congregation around 1908. It was thereafter called the Oak Run Christian Church until the building burned in 1922. No photo of this building has been found.

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