Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-04-14
CHURCHES OF
THE COUNTY
The Methodist Church at Swede
Bend the First One to be
Organized.
GREAT RESPECT FOR RELIGION
Value of Church Property in the
County in 1905 Placed at
$4,000.

From the History of Hamilton
County by F. @. and j. w. Lee: The
people of Hamilton county as &
whole have had great respect for re.
ligion and religion has had great
influence upon their growth and de.
velopment. When the settler moves
into a new country to build a home
his first inquiry is regarding
churches and schools and these in
fuences in Hamilton county have al
ways been matters of just pride to
her people.
Statistics compiled in 1895, show
that over half the people in Hamil-
ton county made some profession of
religion. The different denomina-
tions were represented as follows:
1920 Lutherans, 1862 Methodists,
656 Catholics, $50 Christians, $40
ongregationalists, 439 Baptists,
297 Universalists, 270 United Breth-
rem, ga EplScOpallanS.
Nine hundred and thirty-one gave
their religion as protestant. One
hundred and eighty-fve were divid-
ed among other denominations and
7,542 gave no religious belief. There
was but one pronounced Agnostic in
Hamilton county. There were, how
ever, many who protested religious
belief, who did not belong to the
churches of the county, for from
other statistical tables compiled the
same year, we find that the Luther
ans had eleven churches with a
membership of LIPS. The Metho-
dists had eight churches with a
membership of 922. The Catholics
had two churches with a member
ship of 23O. The Christians had two
churches with membership of 369.
The Congregationalists had three
churches with membership of 1872.
The Baptists had two churches with
a membership of $50. The Univer-
salists had one church with a men,
bership of 1870. The United Breth-
rem had two churches with men,
bership Of 172. The total value of
the church property in 1895 was ov-
er 100000. ....
Ten years later, in 1905, the
Christians had three churches with
membership of 565. The Congre-
gationalists, five churches with a
membership of 654. The United
Brethren, four churches with a
membership of 375. The Presbyter-
ians, two churches with member
ship of 1852. But little change was
reported in numbers of the other
churches and their condition as to-
membership was practically the
same as ten years before. The total
value of church property in the
county in 1905 is given at over
$4,000.
FIRST CHURCH IN THE COUNTY.
The Methodists were the first to
organize a society, and as good ac-
count of the first church is given in
the Freeman of July Is, 1885, it is
given here:
"The first religious society with
in this county, hence we have taken
pains to inform ourselves in regard
to the pioneer church which was
formerly known as 'Swede Bend
Church. This was the Swedish
branch of the Methodist Episcopal
church and was first established as
the Webster Mission in April,
1854, by G.. Smith, and was to &C
commodate the pioneer Swedes who
had settled along the Des Moines
river at Swedes Bend, in what is
now Hamilton and Webster counties.
A few charter members are now res
idents Of the county, among whom
is Samuel Peterson of Marion town
ship. In the fall of 1855, Andrew
Erickson came from Jefferson coun-
ty. as a supply to their charge and
in 1857 became resident preacher,
holding church services at private
houses. Throughout all these long
years the gospel has had its heralds
in the church either by supply or 10
cal preachers. In 1876, six acres of
land was purchased of Andrew john
son, located in the northeast quar-
ter of section 80, Marion township
a mile from the Boone county line
and two miles east Of Webster cOun-
ty line, and on it was erected a
beautiful church edifice, 36x50 feet.
1t is frame structure, with a well
proportional steeple with belfry.
The cost of the bu ting was $4,000.
This, together witt q neat parson-