churches

SCOTLAND COUNTY CHURCHES

If you know of a church which should be listed here, or have more information on any of the churches below, please send e-mail to John Slavin at [email protected]. The Map locations refer to the cemetery map located here.

I. Presbyterian.

At one time there were several Presbyterian churches in Scotland County. Most were Cumberland Presbyterian churches (CPC). This denomination broke from the main line denomination in the early 19th century, in 1810, primarily over the issue of whether ministers had to be seminary educated. This wasn't always easy for small churches in the mountainous Appalachians, and as a result the Cumberland movement begain. The movement was led by Rev. McAdow. A few years later, the remaining main line Presbyterian church split as a result of the civil war in 1861. The Cumberlands voted to merge back with the main Presbyterian church just after the turn of the century in 1906, although the merger was not uniformly supported and an unhappy group refused to go along with the merger and formed a new Cumberland Presbyterian denomination roughly half the size just after the merger. Most of the Cumberlands in Scotland County accepted the merger and became part of the original Presbyterian denomination.

The two civil war denomiations finally healed their wounds and merged in 1983 to become the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA). The southern church had been called Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS). There remains approximately 8 different Presbyterian denominations, although PCUSA is by far the largest, and to my knowledge all the Presbyterian churches in Scotland County were part of the branches that are now part of the PCUSA. If you're still confused by all these separations and mergers, click here and take a look at the diagram I was given by the Presbyterian Historical Society.

The Presbyterian church is organized at the top level by the General Assembly for the denomination. Here is a link to the PCUSA. The next level is the synod. Scotland County is within the Mid-America Synod located in Kansas City. Here is its link. The level just above the local church is the Presbytery. Scotland County is located in the Missouri Union Presbytery. Here is its link. The archives for the church are located in Philadephia (formerly PCUSA archives) and Montreat North Carolina formerly PCUS archives). Here is a link for the historical society. It is my understanding that they are in the process of sending records involving all Missouri churches to Philadelphia. I saw the file for the Pleasant Hill church (while in Montreat). It consisted of one page. It's possible that the Cumberland church may have some records. I've tried to contact them but have had little success. Here's their link. I believe that the Cumberland churches in Scotland County would have been under the Kirksville Presbytery. Originally, the Kirksville Presbytery was for CPC, but after the merger in 1906, the Hannibal presbytery of PCUSA and the Kirksville Presbytery of the CPC were merged into the resulting Kirksville Presbytery (PCUSA). Click here for a list of the churches withing the Kirksville Presbytery. Click here for a map of the Kirksville Presbytery in 1929. Click here for some selected minutes from the Kirksville Presbytery. Then in 1953 the Kirksville Prebytery was merged into the Kirk Presbytery (PCUSA). And finally with the merger of the southern church in 1983, both were merged into the Missouri Union Presbytery refered to above.

John C. Slavin

II. Methodist.

III. Baptist.

Contributor Crystal Dingler notes that the Baptist churches were organized in Associations. She has transcribed minutes of the Pleasant Grove Association and they are below. Apparently the Pleasant Grove Assocation was created from the Wyaconda Association in 1877. The Organization minutes are HERE. Prior to that the members would have attended the Wyaconda Association and Crystal has provided Wyaconda Association minutes for 1870 and 1875 HERE. These minutes of the Pleasant Grove Association reflect the attendance by representatives of several churches in the association. It appears that about half the member churches are from Scotland Co., and most of the remainder from Clark Co. Crystal notes that although the Pleasant Grove Church was the parent church, the Association included Providence, Richland, Edinburg, Zion, Dover, Indian Creek, Memphis, Mt. Zion, 1st Baptist of Arbela, Little Zion and Oak Ridge Baptist Churches in Scotland County. Crystal also indicates that more extensive sets of the Wyaconda Minutes will soon be uploaded to the Lewis County MoGenweb site, and the Mt. Salem Minutes are now on the Knox County MoGenWeb site listed under cemeteries. Crystal also wonders if Middle Fabius Church became Dover Church. She notes that Matt Coffey was clerk of  Middle Fabius Church in 1875 and then longtime clerk of Dover. She also reasons that there was already a Dover church in Lewis Co., MO, in the Wyaconda Association, so the Middle Fabius folks may have changed the name after they formed their own Association.

Thanks to Crystal (cldingler at att.net) for the extractions. She notes, "My gr2 grandfather, O.N. Collins 1830-1913, was an ordained minister of the Wyaconda Assn., but also Pastor of churches in the Pleasant Grove Assn. and Mt. Salem Assn. He had many Thompson, Johnson, etc., cousins in Scotland Co., but his home was in Knox City, Knox Co., MO, where he was a blacksmith."

The Pleasant Grove Association appears to have met on an annual basis. The following are extractions of several of the annual meeting minutes:

 a.  1883
 b.  1884
 c.  1886
 d.  1890
 e.  1893
 f.  1895
 g.  1897
 h.  1900
 i.  1901
 j.  1902
 k.  1903
 l.  1914

IV. Catholic.

V. Lutheran.

VI. Assembly of God.

VII. Christian.

VIII. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

IX. Holiness.

X. Congregational

XI. Campellite

XII. Church of Christ

XIII. Pentecostal

XIV. Menonite.

XV. Non Denominational or Unknown Denomination.

Note:If any of you have any addition information about any of these church, or are willing to write a more detailed description of the denomination, or have information concerning churches that are missing, please let me know by writing me at [email protected].

Last updated September 12, 2006.


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