Information Sheet

 

 

R         Morgan County (Mo.).

429                  Church histories, 1917‑1979.

                                    Nine folders, photocopies.

 

 

 

These are printed histories and programs for nine churches in Morgan and Moniteau coun­ties of Missouri.  Included are Baptist, Methodist, United Church of Christ, Lutheran, and Men­nonite con­gregations in or near Versailles, Fortuna, Florence, Glensted, and Pyr­mont.

 

Generally these histories were produced for important historical milestones, such as an­ni­ver­sa­ries, dedications, building campaigns, and celebrations.  Each church has been assigned an in­di­vidual folder; some folders contain more than one item.  The churches included are:

 

Folder 1: First Baptist Church of Versailles

This folder contains four items: A 75th anniversary program and history (1943); a pro­mo­tional booklet for a major building campaign (1948); a centennial program (1968); and a cen­tennial his­tory (1968).

The First Baptist Church of Versailles was organized in 1868 as a member of the Con­cord As­so­ciation.  In 1872 it joined the Lamine Baptist Association, where it has remained, ex­cept for 1934‑1937, when it affiliated with the Miller County Association.  The congregation erected an auditorium in 1877, an educational building in 1929, and dedicated a new audito­rium in 1950.

The centennial history (1968) contains a wealth of information, including a description of Ver­sailles and its businesses in 1868; a list of charter members, with photographic portraits and brief bi­ographies; excerpts from early minutes of the governing board; photographs of all church build­ings; names and photographs of pastors and church officers; and a comprehensive list of current (1968) members, with many pictured.

Of interest are accounts of periods when church services were suspended due to disease in 1873 (cholera), 1918 (Spanish influenza), and 1946 (poliomyelitis).  The original congrega­tional “cove­nant” of 1868 is reprinted.

 

Folder 2: Saint John United Church of Christ (Florence, Mo.)

This folder contains a small booklet which describes the church’s chancel (altar, pulpit, and lec­tern).  The chancel was a gift of the Carl C. Siegel family, and was hand‑carved by Pe­ter V. Siegel.  It was dedicated on 16 September 1979.  The booklet explains the Christian symbols in­corporated into the carvings.

 

Folder 3: Glensted Methodist Church

This folder contains a booklet issued for the church's centennial on 13 May 1962.  In­cluded are unattributed reminiscences, as well as a letter of 4 May 1962 from Thruston Hanks, a for­mer mem­ber then living in California, to Alma Kerr.  The “present” Glensted church building was dedicated on 24 June 1904.  An affiliate of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Glen­sted ab­sorbed the nearby Rock Spring congregation about 1912.

 

Folder 4: Versailles Methodist Church

This folder contains four items: a program for the worship service on 24 December 1933; a pro­gram for morning services on 31 July 1949; a church history published in 1951; and a pro­gram for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the church building on 12 October 1958.

The Methodist Church in Versailles was organized in 1836, erected a building in 1842, and com­pleted a brick auditorium in 1908.  The 1951 history includes a list of pastors, extracts from newspa­per items (1886­-1951), and a membership roll.  Prior to the Civil War the congre­gation af­filiated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, but during the war the pastor left Ver­sailles and the building was used by the “northern” Methodist Episcopal Church.  After the war, however, the previ­ous pastor returned and the building was reclaimed by the “southern” adher­ents, but not without con­siderable acrimony.

 

Folder 5: Grace Lutheran Church (Versailles, Mo.)

This folder contains a booklet for the services dedicating the new church auditorium on 27 No­vember 1960.  Included are photographs, a physical description of the building, and a brief history of the congre­gation, which was formed in 1949 and officially organized as a mem­ber of the Lu­theran Church (Missouri Synod) on 29 July 1951.

 

Folder 6: Fortuna United Methodist Church

Included here is a booklet marking the 75th anniversary of the congregation on 13 No­vem­ber 1977.  There is a list of charter members, photographs of the church building under con­struction and newly completed (1902), lists of pastors and church officers, and a list of wed­dings per­formed at the church, 1950‑1977.  The church building is located in Moniteau County, although many of the mem­bers reside in Morgan County.

 

Folder 7: Trinity Lutheran Church of Pyrmont

This folder has one item, a booklet celebrating the 120th anniver­sary of the congregation on 1 September 1968.  Pyrmont is a small commu­nity a few miles north of Stover in western Morgan County.  This church, an affiliate of the American Lutheran Church (“Iowa Synod”) was formed in 1848.  It became a dual charge with the Brauersville Immanuel Lutheran Church in 1961.  A pic­ture of the church building (1895) is on the cover.  Included is a history of the congregation.

 

Folder 8: Mount Zion Mennonite Church

This folder contains one item, a centennial booklet published in 1971.  Mount Zion church is lo­cated near Fortuna on the border between Morgan and Moniteau counties.  The congre­gation was formed by splitting off from nearby Bethel Mennonite Church after a doc­trinal dis­pute in 1871.  There are lists of charter members, “ordained men,” and past and pre­sent mem­bers, in­cluding birth and death dates when known.  Of particu­lar interest are a map of the area, with names of residents, in 1870, and an account of the difficult year of 1917‑1918, when “our people refused to support any of the war measures.”  There is a centennial program for activities on 17‑18 July 1971.

 

Folder 9: Bethel Mennonite Church (Fortuna, Mo.)

This folder includes two items: A “Souvenir Album” for the 50th anniversary of the con­gre­ga­tion (1917), and a book published for the church's centennial in 1967.

The “souvenir album” (1917) was printed by the Berne Witness Company of Berne, Ind.  It has complementary German and English texts, the program for the Golden Anniversary ob­ser­vance on 22 April 1917, and a list of current officers.  Of particular importance are full pages de­vot­ed to sur­viv­ing charter members, including portrait photographs and biographies, similar pages devoted to previ­ous pastors, photographs of the “old” (1870) and “new” (1909) church buildings, and a history of the congregation.

The centennial book includes the program for the centennial observ­ances, 18‑25 June 1967, pho­tographs of members and previous pastors, with biographies of the latter, and a complete list of past and present mem­bers, with birth and death dates when available.

Formed by settlers from Wayne County, Ohio, Bethel Mennonite Church celebrated its first holy communion service on 21 April 1867.  Members were drawn from both Morgan and Moniteau coun­ties to the church near Fortuna.

 

 

Shelf List for this collection
Index cards for this collection
Questions? Use our Researcher Registration Form
Return to WHMC-Rolla's home page.