The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-04-20
YEARS AGO
Items Taken from the Files of The
Reporter Published q Quarter
of a Century Ago. J

OF a Century AGO.
Mrs. Macy Garrett, wife of VIM.
Garrett, died at her home near De-
catur City Sunday night, and was
buried at High Point on Tuesday.
The following marriage licenses
have been issued the past week.
Arthur J. Cummins 21 to Anna
Dunn 21.
Sidney G. Wright 21 to Ina l..
Smith "a.
A. j. Warner purchased the jewel
ry store and postoffice lobby of l. B..
Frazee last Friday. The business
will be continued in charge of Jacob
Warner jr. Mr.. Frazee and family
will move to Toledo, Iowa.
Mr.. Arthur j. Cummins of Deca-
tur, and Miss Anna L. Dunn of Wood
land, were married at the home of
the brides parents in Woodland
township, on Sunday, April 10Th, Rev.
W. G. Hohansheldt officiating.
The fortieth anniversary of the NJ.
E. Church of Leon, was celebrated
last Sunday. The first church was
organized in Leon in March, 1851, at
the home of John R. Jordan, with
the following members: John Patter-
son, class leader, Parmelia Patterson,
John R. Jordan, Artemesia Jordan,
VIM. Burt, cynthia Burt, Abner
Harber, Louamie McIlvain, Levi
Clark and Ishmael Barnes. OF these
all are deceased except Aunty Patter-
son, who was present, and Mrs. Ar
temesia Jordan, who resides in Dem
yer. The present membership OF the
church is 160 and at the roll call IS
members responded. Aunty Patter-
son related some "reminiscences OF
early Methodist days. 1t was impos-
sible to obtain a complete report, but
the following was taken from notes:
I'VE landed in the prairie the 3rd OF
November, 1850, My husband put up
a building on the north end OF the
cemetery, II feet square. In the
summer of 1851 we went to Missouri
to quarterly meeting, mill and post
Office At the quarterly meeting in
Missouri, the elder told young
preacher named Klepper to come
here and organize a church and ne
would write to the Iowa conference
to send us a missionary. He did so,
and Lyman Briggs was sent in the
fall of 1851. On his way back to
Leon he came through Garden Grove
and was invited to come back there
and preach. He consented and after
he filled his appointment here he
went back to Garden Grove. He was
to preach in the evening at the cabin
Of the man who gave him the lnvi-
tation, but when heicame there that
evening there was dance in pro-
gress. His host told him he could
either wait until the dance was over
or preach in the other room OF the
cabin; as a result there was no
preaching. He preached here for
three months and held his meeting
in our cabin where Aunt Jane Miller
now resides. We mad our services on
week days as Brother Briggs had five
counties in his charge. He preached
on Sundays at the county seats. That
was before our county seat was laid
out After Briggs came j. Parker
and a Mr.. Davis. AS soon as the
county seat was laid out we brought
our meetings in town. The first
quarterly conference was neld in a
frame building where the forgrave
residence now stands. Jay was the
first presiding elder and the collec-
tions amounted to over $50. We
built our church and got the frame
up and put on one coat OF plaster and
had plank seats without any backs.
We took stand we had for the
preacher to lay his bible on. Broth
er Shaffer then told me he would
make pulpit if l would cover it, to
which l agreed. He made the pulpit
and I covered the sides with dark
green and the top with dark blue. l
then made a cushion for the pulpit
out of gray cloth. For lights Shaffer
made tin lamps and found material
to put in them. For a bible the
preachers used to carry ours to and
from the church under their arms,
and 1 had room especially for
preachers and nearly a hundred
preachers have slept there. We used
to have some of the grandest sermons
there l ever heard, with one excep-
ton, and tnat was one by Bishop
Ninde at the dedication of our pres
ent church. E. P. ingalls, was one OF
them. We had prayer meetings at
our house every Sunday for a while
and then alternated with White Oak.
Many night have we walked to the
ridge this side of Decatur City and
back to prayer meeting and were
glad to do it. When we first came
here there was no religious society
here nor any religious people. The
first Sunday School here was organ
lied by a Presbyterian minister from
Keokuk. Mr.. Patterson was the first
and the only question
book was the shorter catechism.
: Rev. and Mrs. D. McIntire, of Os-
ceola, visited over Sunday in Leon.
Miss Mayme Penniwell has gone
to Gainesville, where she will teach
a class in music for three months.
Chas. H. Simmons, deputy post
master at Charlton, visited over Sun
day in Leon, a guest at the home OF
]. Hoffhines.
Wade Warner returned from Chi
cago, where he has been attending
Bryant & Stratton's business college,
to spend the summer. He will resume
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