Livingston county history
LIBERTY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
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LIBERTY UNITED METHODIST CHURCHThe community now served by Liberty Church was settled in the 1830’s. A log cabin schoolhouse was built in 1838, one half mile south and a half mile west of the present church. In 1843 Cap Bowen organized a Sunday School here called Union Sunday Brethern School. The first minister was a United Brethern from Avalon, local preachers, Reverend Linthecum and Reverend Swain also preached. In the winter of 1873, Reverend Mosher, a Methodist Minister who lived in Dawn held a revival. A church was organized with Brother Mosher as minister. Charter member families were: Seiberlings, Mosers, McKerlie, Coe, Stone, and Bean. During hard times the minister left, so two of the women of the community, Mrs. Coe and Mrs. McKerlie took turns reading sermons, when a new minister was appointed these two women were appointed stewards and they visited each family in the congregation with a team and wagon collecting grain, vegetables, meat and fruit for the minister’s family. The Liberty Church became a part of the Ludlow Circuit and Reverend C.A.B. Watson was sent to build a church. In 1884 a tornado at Blue Mound blew down the log schoolhouse, and the church services were held at Swain School until a new Kincaid School could be built. In 1888 Professor Bates of Avalon conducted a singing school for the young people so they could learn to read music. Thomas L. Jones gave the lot for the new church and building was started in 1892. A Christian Endeavor was organized in 1895, between Reese Chapel, Liberty, and the U. B. Church in Avalon, it became an active organization and later a Junior Christian Endeavor was organized with Katie Seiberling as sponsor. The church started a missionary program in 1905. Later Reverend C. C. Hartzler, student pastor at Liberty in 1909, became a missionary to Africa. In 1908, a Ladies Aid was organized to help with church finances. In 1917, the church formed an orchestra and the first piano was purchased for the church. The church was one of the first rural churches to sponsor a 4-H club, starting in 1920 with W. D. Steele as a leader, when 4-H club work was reactivated in the 1930’s the name Liberty 4-H Club was chosen. In 1922, an Epworth League was started. By 1920, the church had outgrown the building, and an annex and a basement was built. It was dedicated on August 12, 1923. Further renovation of the old building was done during the 1920’s. In 1940, following Methodist Unification, a Methodist Youth Fellowship was started and later the Ladies Aid and the Missionary Society became the Women’s Society of Christian Service. The youth of the church started a choir, under the direction of Mrs. Maurice Livingston, during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. The youth fellowship of the church embarked on many different projects in late years. They have participated in nine work camps, in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kentucky, under the leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Whiteside. In 1960, a new church sanctuary was built of brick. Lee Wray Russell was the minister at the time. The old frame church continued to be used for Sunday School classes until 1968 when an educational wing was built, and the old frame building was torn down. The educational wing was built during Reverend John Gooding’s ministry. The present minister is Reverend Gilbert Evans. The church membership is 150 members. Mrs. Lena Bowen is church lay leader, Raymond Hoyt is chairman of the Administrative Council, Mrs. Beverly Reeser is chairman of the Council on Ministries. The church has an active Men’s Club with Dale Whiteside as president. The women of the church belong to United Methodist Women with Mrs. Latimer Jones as president, and the young people of the church belong to United Methodist Youth with Evonna George as president. There are nine Church School classes. Mrs. Pat Shuler is chairman of Church School work. Margaret Wood serves as Church School secretary, Ben Wood Jones is Church treasurer, Mrs. Willa Vee George is financial secretary. LILLY GROVE CHURCH (1858-1980) The Lilly Grove Church built in the years 1856-1858 by those residing in the area and who recognized the need of having a place where they could gather and be ministered to from the Holy Writ, and to give thanks to the great Creator God for their many blessings, still stands in northwest Livingston County, 14 miles northwest of Chillicothe, Missouri. Built out of native lumber the floor is of rough sawed oak, the pews are native material; and the heat was from two large wood or coal stoves. The ground was furnished by the Lilly family, therefore the name Lilly Grove. Those who are believed to have helped in the building are the Lilly’s, George Washington Hobbs, Thomas Gann, Thomas Hutchison, John W. Boyle; and other names from the cemetery markers that may have helped in the building or in other ways are Phelps, Hosman, Lauderdale, Faulk, Moore, Shuler, Farrar, Caladine, Hand, Brown, Ott, Campbell, Lipke, Rose, Griffin, Gillilan, Tye, Wood, and others who were not buried in the Lilly Grove Cemetery. There are some of the markers so weatherworn the names cannot be seen. During 1861 the Lilly Grove Area was a no-man’s land between the southern sympathizers and the Union forces. The Illinois 50th Cavalry visited Lilly Grove Church on a Sunday morning and created excitement. About this time a bullet hole was made in the door of the Church. Former pastors were: Thomas Thompson, I. S. Allen, George Flint, Wm. Harriman, W. B. Carter, M. Peterson, Whaley, Pardonner, J. Edwards, J. D. Wilnot, Ben Matchett, U. S. Thader, W. D. Gordon, Jacob Creath, R. M. Messick, B. Lockhart, E. J. Duncan, C. A. Hedrick, D. F. Bessett, Phelps and Hawkins. Denver Richardson was the minister in the 1930’s and the services were attended by many in the area, when there was a large number of young people living near by and they made it a must to go to Lilly Grove. Names of some attending at that time; Lovell, Rose, Swaithes, Wilson, White, Persell, Laffey, Black, Dickerson, Davidson, Robbins, Young, Gillilan, Schuler, Hicklin, Hochs, Gann, Thompson, Sneeden, Tout, Prewitt, Caddell, Long, Stottlemyre, Hutchison, Marlow, Lamp, Cox, Miller and Bates. In the late 1940’s and early 50’s, it was rather quiet at Lilly Grove, but Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie Gann and Dora Hutchison never forgot the old church that was dear to them, and attended occasionally. Johnnie mowed the part of the cemetery where his relatives were buried and Alpha wrote the items for the Chillicothe and Jamesport newspapers. In the mid 1950’s Mr. and Mrs. William Wigfield and others from Chillicothe and Gallatin started a twice weekly Bible study; during this time the building was painted, a new roof job and the front steps and porch renewed. Mrs. C. 0. Berden, Red Cloud, Nebraska had made money available for the improvements. She, I believe, was the daughter of one of the Hutchisons. Roger Peery, Harold Godman and Dave Lovell did the porch work. A large crowd gathered for the centennial meeting in the summer of 1958, attending from far and near. Ernest Harvey was the speaker in the morning and Paul Ketcherside in the afternoon. In the early 1960’s Mr. and Mrs. George Walker, Kansas City, Missouri promoted a nightly meeting for two weeks. In the 1960’s William Wilson and Johnnie Gann started the occasional Sunday afternoon singings which lasted until 1973. William Wilson generally was speaker at these events with an occasional guest speaker among whom was Ron Palarmo and Dan Schiel who is now being heard over 2 or 3 radio stations and recently on television in the Houston, Texas area. Many attended from far and near and took part in music and song. The Lilly Grove Church has been standing for 118 years, was painted again in the early 1970’s but of course is showing it’s age. It has been a lighthouse down through the years, loved by many and frequently visited by many who live in other states and different parts of the country when they are here on vacation. Beulah Gay, now deceased, had made a sufficient amount of money available for a trust fund to be used for the care and upkeep of the cemetery by and in back of the church building. There are several of Miss Gay’s relatives buried there including her grandparents on the Gann side of her family. The grounds are kept mowed at regular times through the growing season, the markers have been straightened where needed, and the grounds have been well fenced. The work being directed by John Peery who was named trustee; Roy Hicklin, Beulah Dunn and Lowell Moore the board members. Much of the early history of Lilly Grove has been collected by Mrs. Nelle Parker, Trenton, Mo., with a Mrs. Mays, Kansas City, Mo. Mildred Hutchison, Kansas City, who formerly lived near, and Mrs. Grace Cole who still lives in the area assisting from old diaries, notes that had been written in song books; etc. In this bicentennial year of the independence of our great country, may we the people desire and search for the truth from God’s inspired word, realizing that from His word guided by the revealing of the Holy Spirit we can know the way, the truth and the life. “Blessed is the nation whose Godis the Lord.” Psalms 33:12 -- William Wilson LUDLOW COMMUNITY CHURCHJune 1972, the congregation of the former Ludlow Christian Church and Ludlow Methodist Church finalized the merger into the Ludlow Community Church. The new church was a partner in the Livingston County Larger Parish along with Dawn Federated Church and Mooresville Christian Church. Reverend Robert Barnett, former pastor of the Ludlow Circuit of the Ludlow Methodist Church was the pastor. Officers were: Noah Gall, Mrs. Zeala Warner, John Busby, Carl Goll, Mrs. Helen Hughes, Mrs. Betty Wolcott, secretary, Mrs. Virginia James, treasurer and David James. The Larger Parish Committee: John Wolcott, Maurice Hatchitt and Mrs. Novella Robinson. This organization remained until 1974 - 75. Then Reverend Barnett became pastor to the Ludlow Community Church, Mooresville Christian Church and Wheeling Christian Church of which he still serves (1980). 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