The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-08-12

| tor says, and remember the lessons thai
he teaches. Mr.. Evans loved to hear the
pure gospel, preached in the simple man
ner of the country church.
Mr.. Baldwin called to mind that Mr.
Evans was the man who gave the grount
for the building on which the little
church was erected.
Robert Pritchard, who built the church
said he was delighted to see so many
people there, after period of forty
years. He hoped the church would stand
for another forty.
Rev. John w. Roberts of Lake Crys.
tai, who used to preach in South Bend
before the church was built, addressed
the people in Welsh. His speech was
! largely reminiscent. He referred espec-
tally to the memory of the beloved Rev
jenkins. He exhorted the South Bend
people to continue in the work for the
gospel with the same fervor as had been
displayed heretofore.
Thomas Hughes of Mankato delivered
the main address of the day, saying, in
part:
"The pioneers of this locality were a
God fearing people and no sooner had the
Hon. d. c. Evans and his associates
started the townsite of South Bend, than
the voice of praise and prayer were
heard in it. The first sermon west
of the Blue Earth was prob
ably preached by Father Thompson
in September, 1854, on the occasion of
the funeral of a young man named John
Lyon. In the early spring of 1855 we
find Joshua, Barnard, since a prominent
preacher in the Methodist Episcopal
church, leading a class in Bible study,
opening and closing the exercise with
song and prayer.
con August l, 1855, the first church
west of the Blue Earth was organized
by Rev. Richard Davis at his own log
house in the village of South Bend. 1t
was a Welsh union church with forty
three charter members. It's pastor was
Rev. Richard Davis and its first five
deacons were: Evan H. Evans, Evan
Evans pant, Edward Thomas, ST.,
William j. Roberts and William R. Price,
all of whom have been dead for many
a year.
can eventful day in our village was
May 10, 1856, when the steamboat
"Yeatman," landed at its levee the ia
nous Jackson colony of hundred and
twenty-one Welsh souls, and full of
fervor was the camp meeting held by
them and the whole village next day on
the shore of "Llyn Tegid," only a few
feet from this spot.
"Many of the members of this union
church resided far away upon claims
located along Minneopa creek, and as
their number this year had been largely
augmented, they withdrew in October,
1856, to form Zion church. Very soon
after this the Wesleyan Methodists
themselves from the union or
ganization to start church of their
own under the lead of Rev. R. D. Price.
"The few remaining members of the
union church were mostly of the congre-
gational way, but owing to their en-
feebled condition and want of leadership
and pastoral care, their organization had
practically ceased to exist, when w. ".
Davis arrived from Fox Lake, Wis, in
the spring of 1853 and at once he be-
came one of the leading merchants of
the thriving village of South Bend. Mr..
Davis was a born Congregationalist,
and soon through his efforts, aided by
John A. Jones, Thomas Evans, Griffith
Roberts and others, the Rev. Jenkin Jen-
kins, noted Congregational preacher,
who resided in the present town of Cam
bria, eighteen miles away, was Undue
ed to make the village a preaching sta
ton.
"The interest grew under the able
preaching of Rev. jenkins, and on Dec
IL, 1859, the South Bend Congregational
church was organized by him with four
teen members. He was assisted in the
organization by Henry Hughes, who in
those days was lay preacher in the
Cambria neighborhood, and by David T.
Davis, who had been sent as delegate
by the Salem Congregation church. The
charter members were: Mr.. and Mrs. w.
w. Davis, Mr.. and Mrs Griffith Roberts,
Thomas w. Evans, Edward Thomas ST.,
Mrs. Edward Thomas, Edward Thomas
Jr., Mrs. John A. Jones, Mrs. d. C.
Evans, Griffith Williams, Mrs. Gwendo-
len Williams, and Mr.. and Mrs. John G.
Roberts, the latter now Mrs. John Rees
of Cambria. OF these fourteen members
six are still living, all in this vicinity ex-
cept w. w. Davis, who has removed to
California. Thomas w. Evans and w.
w. Davis were chosen as the first dea-
cons. The organization took place in
vacant log cabin owned by the late Even
Evans (Pant), which stood just across
the street from this church and here
the meetings were held for time.
Following the organization service
proper, and at the same meeting Mrs.
Jennette Jones, now of Mankato and the
only surviving daughter of Rev. Jenkin
Jenkins was received into the new