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History of Early
Church Services
in Community


By Mrs. Laura Stebbins

"I have to depend entirely upon my memory this evening for the first part of this history and I will try to give you all the facts, of course it will not be history unless it is true.
First - I believe in order that you may appreciate this land more or a little better I believe I will tell you about the conditions of the country at that time 1886. The country was new when we first came here, there were few houses, also the landscape seems to have changed in fifty years time. When we first came here you could see as far as you could see as far as you could look across the plains, perhaps a distance of twelve or fifteen miles, now you can hardly get out today and see that far on account of the trees and buildings. There were very few frame houses and the sod houses were dark in color and very hard to see and then the country at that time was thinly settled.
The older people in coming here were dissatisfied because there were no schools or religious services or no places to have them. Some of the mothers said they wished they could have a Sunday School in this country. Mrs. Elliot said we would gather the people from all over the country and organize a Sunday School, as I have no minutes of this meeting I do not know how many people were there perhaps one-half dozen. The teacher was Russell Elliot, a son of Dr. Elliot, who was spending the summer here with his father, he was from a college, he was the first Sunday School teacher here. Laura Moore was Secretary and Organist.
This Sunday School was organized in the fall of 1886, in the spring they moved into town, where it was held in the Garven Hall, which at that time stood just south of the little bank where Walter Pollard now has his office. Sunday School was held here until the Congregational church was built.
On March 20, 1887 Sunday School was opened by singing No. 22 followed by a prayer by Mrs. Elliot. Number persons present 14, number teachers 3, number officers 5, collection 87c. Sunday School closed by singing No. 92.
I believe that was the first Sunday School that was held in town. After they moved in town, people from all over the country began to gather for Sunday School. Then the people from the Ohio Divide, you may not know where that is,
The material used in the articles about the Farnam churches is taken mostly from the information supplied at the special service, held on July 5, at the Methodist church, when a review of "Pioneer Days," as pertaining to the early churches of Farnam was given. A record of this meeting was taken down by Miss Dolores Kitchen, stenographer, and arranged for a permanent file.


Raymond Smith lives in that locality. The Ohio Divide was divided by a large canyon, the George Dryden family, Ed Hayden family and the Fitch family lived on the Ohio side and the Perkins family and Frank Aldin lived on the other side of the canyon. These people came in and joined our Sunday School, which made our Sunday School larger in number and made enough to begin to think about a church.
Of course, there was no denomination in this young Sunday School so while they were thinking what were going to do Mr. Dunton wrote to Chicago for a student to preach (he was Congregational). He started on September 15th, during that time he preached for us and the people were not able to pay him a salary, but boarded him so he stayed a week with each family. Perhaps, that was one minister that had plenty of fried chicken for that summer, there was no fresh meat in the country so it was salt side meat or chicken so I think probably they gave the minister chicken.
Also I must tell you about the Fourth of July picnic that was held. On June 4th a motion was made, "Resolved that the Sunday School have a picnic on the 4th of July." A committee of six was appointed to take charge: John Dawson, J. W. Voodry, Elmer Buss, Mrs. Dunton, Mrs. Declow, Mrs. Rolfe.
The student that came at this time by the name of Mr. Snyder helped to organize the Congregational church. Mr. Kerr has that data and will tell you more about that. During this time they began work on the Congregational church and in October they were getting ready for a minister. I had the pleasure to help clean the parsonage for the first minister, he lived in the front part of the Tuft house, which has since been built onto.
I remember that day we cleaned the church, it was sometime in October. I had a pony I rode, so I rode my pony, brought mop, pail and scrub brush and my lunch. There were Mrs. Dunton, Byrd Smith and myself. We were rejoicing because we were soon to have a minister.
1886 1936

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