Untitled Document

THE HENRY COUNTY SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION.

By Philip J. Stoneberg.

A meeting called by several persons interested in Sunday school work in Henry county was held in the Congregational church at Cambridge in October, 1865. No official minutes of this meeting were preserved. 0. H. Loomis, of Kewanee, was chairman and J. D. K. Sleight, of Geneseo, secretary. Most of the delegates were from Cambridge, Kewanee and Geneseo. Various Sunday school topics were discussed and a children's meeting was held. It was decided to organize a county association and a constitution was adopted. H. Thomas, of Geneseo, was elected president and Rev. F. D. Rickerson, of Geneseo, secretary for the ensuing year.

The new organization met in convention at Geneseo, May 15-16, 1866. During the course of the sessions the following topics were considered: Is it the duty of adult members of our churches to attend Sunday school? The relation of pastors to the Sunday school. Is the use of question books by teachers desirable? What are the advantages, and what are the best methods of conducting Sunday school concerts? What is the best plan for conducting regular exercises of the Sunday school? At the evening session on the first day the following resolution was adopted:

"RESOLVED. That the Sunday school is second in importance and interest to no field of labor which comes under the pastor's care."

The following resolution was adopted the second day:

"RESOLVED. That the paramount object of all Sunday school instruction is the salvation of the soul, and that the teachers should make all their efforts bend in that direction and not rest satisfied while one of the class remains out of the fold of Christ."

Another resolution adopted read thus:

"RESOLVED. That in selecting Sunday school libraries all books not containing a strong religious element should be rejected."

The last resolution which was adopted was as follows:

"RESOLVED. That it is not expedient for Sunday school scholars to attend more than one school a day."

In the afternoon of the second day the scholars of the Geneseo Sunday schools marched in procession through the principal streets to the public square where a children's meeting was held.

The third gathering of the county Sunday school workers was held at Ke wanee, May 28-29,1867. On the afternoon of the second day the members of the Kewanee and Wethersfield Sunday schools marched to the academy grounds where devotional exercises were held and short addresses delivered.

In connection with the election of president and secretary twenty-four vice-presidents were elected, one for each township in the county.

June 2-3, 1868, the association held its annual convention at Galva, when seventeen townships reported seventy-three schools with eight hundred and forty-five teachers, and six thousand, four hundred and sixty-three scholars.

November 10-11, 1868, a convention was again held at Cambridge, when the county was divided into eleven districts, each with a district superintendent, as follows: I, Oxford and Clover, S. Gamble; 2, Weller and Galva, W. 0. Brooks ; 3, Wethersfield, Kewanee and Burns, M. Doty ; 4, Cambridge and Munson, A. K. Henney; 5, Andover and Lynn, E. Buck; 6, Western and Osco, W. W. Warner ; 7, Cornwall and Annawan, D_ Butterrnore; 8, Colona, Edford and Geneseo, H. Thomas; 9, Atkinson and Alba, Chas. B. Fisher; io, Hanna and Phenix, Joseph Henney; 1, Loraine and Yorktown, L, C. Pope. This arrangement the place of township organization.

A street meeting was one of the features of the next convention, held at Geneseo, Tune 3-4, 1869. On September 2-3 of the same year, a convention convened in Kewanee ; D. L. Moody was expected for one of the sessions but sent word he could not come.

The association next assembled at Galva in convention May 31-June I, 1870. when a uniformity of Sunday school lessons was recommended; and at Cambridge May 30-31, 1871 ; Geneseo June, 4-5, 1872; and at Orion May 20-21, 1873, when a new constitution was adopted ; and at Woodhull, May 26-27, 1874.

May 18-19, 1875, the association met in annual convention at Kewanee and at Cambridge, May 16-17, 1876, when a resolution was passed urging that scholars bring their Bibles or testament to Sunday school. On October 10-1 1, of the same year, a convention was held at Galva, when it was decided to hold the annual gatherings in the fall. The next convention, then, met at Atkinson, October 9-10, 1877, and the one of the succeeding year, September 24-25, at Geneseo, when a resolution was adopted censuring the managers of the county fair for allowing the sale of beer at the last annual fair. At the next convention, however, held at Orion, September 30-October I, 1879, the thanks of the association were extended to the county fair management for suppressing the sale of beer at the fair of that year.

The Sunday school workers of the county as an association next met at Annawan, August 25-26, 188o; Kewanee, August 23-24, 1881 ; Galva, August 31-September 1, 1882; Woodhull, August 30-31, 1883; Cambridge, October 30-31, 1884; Geneseo, November 5-6, 1885, when house-to-house visitation was emphasized; Orion, September 16-17, 1886; Atkinson, September 7-8, 1887; Annawan, September 11-12, 1888 ; Galva, August 22-23, 1889 ; Kewanee, August 21-22, 189o; Geneseo, September 24-25, 1891; Orion, October 25-26, 1892; Cambridge, August 16-17, 1893 ; Woodhull, August 9-1o, 1894; Atkinson, August 7-8, 1895; Galva, August 11-12, 1896; Geneseo, August Io-I1, 1897 ; Kewanee, September 27-28, 1898; Cambridge, September 28-29, 1899; Orion, September 27-28, 1900; and Woodhull, August 29-30, 1901.

A change to the earlier part of summer was again made with the next convention, held at Geneseo, June 17-18, 1902. The following year the county association met June 23-24, at Kewanee; June 30-July I, 1904, at Galva; June 20-21, 1905, at Cambridge; June 26-27, 1906, at Atkinson; June 13-14, 1907, at Alpha; June 16-17, 1908, at Orion; and June 24-25, 1909, at Geneseo.

Among those who have appeared on the programs of these conventions have been some whose names stand high on the roll of the Sunday school workers of the state and nation. Miss Lucy J. Rider (subsequently Mrs. Meyer of deaconess fame), W. B. Jacobs, Professor E. 0. Excell, William Reynolds, Dr. H. M. Hamill, F. G. Ensign, E. B. Stevenson, Dr. G. P. Williams, A. T. Arnold, G. W. Miller, Henry Moser, C. E. Schenck—these are among those who have served the Sunday schools of Henry county by precept and example. Other names might be added to this list.

Rev. J. M. Hartley was for six years the Sunday school missionary for Henry county. He resigned in 1898 and was succeeded by Will Anderson, who served for about a year and a half and in turn was succeeded February 1, 1900, by Rev. Axel Gabrielson, who served till in 1904. John A. Josephson came in 1905 and remained till about May I, 1907. The next county missionary was Charles J. Bukoutz, who took up his work in the fall of 1907 and remained in it until October 1, 1909.

The following have served as presidents of the association : H. Thomas, 1865-6; A. K. Henney, 1866-7; S. M. Etter, 1867-8 ; H. 0. Sleight, June-Novem ber, 1868; 0. H. Loomis, 1868-9; W. W. Warner, 1869-70; Milo Doty, 1870-2; H. Thomas, 1872-3 ; W. H. Parkin, 1873-5 ; W. K. Wight, 1875-6 ; J. P. Root. May-October, 1876; G. N. Palmer, 1876-7; H. Thomas, 1877-8 ; Dr. H. H. Long, 1878-9; Wm. Troyer, 1879-80; H. T. Lay, 1880-3 ; E. R. Riggs, 1883-6; H. R. Ott, 1886-7; J. M. Sweeney, 1887-8; Rev, J. H. Delano, 1888-90; H. R. Ott, 1890 2 ; P. D. Ransom, 1892-5 ; J. A. Stearns, 1895-8; E. S. Dean, 1898-1902 ; G. H. Breed, 1902-5; H. T. Lay, 1905-6; C. B. Taylor, 1906— The secretaries have been as follows: Rev. F. D. Rickerson, 1865-8; A. K.Henney, 1868-73; J. R. Manning, 1873-7 ; W. K. Wight, 1877-81; Sallie Miles, 1881-8; H. M. Gilbert, 1888-91; Mary E. Taylor, 1891-7; Belle Wilson, 1897-9; P. J. Stoneberg, 1899—

The association concerns itself with the protestant Sunday schools of the county. The report for the year 1908-9 indicated eighty-seven schools inthe county, of which seventy-three were open all year. Seventeen schools reported holding regular teachers' meetings for the study of the lesson. The officers and teachers were in all, one thousand, one hundred and thirty-four, and the scholars, eight thousand, six hundred and twenty-eight, making a total membership of nine thousand, seven hundred and sixty-two. The average attendance was five thousand, nine hundred and seven. There were twelve home departments with three hundred and sixty-two members ; twenty-nine cradle rolls with six hundred and twelve members, while twenty-five schools had observed what is known as "Decision Day." Thirty-six schools had a separate primary room. Thirty-two schools reported a total of three hundred and six accessions to the church from Sunday school. Township conventions were held during the year in every township.

Aside from the township presidents at first, or the district superintendents afterwards elected, the officers were for a long time limited to a president, one or two vice-presidents, and a secretary, who also served as treasurer ; also an executive committee. But as the work grew and new departments were elvolved and new offices were created. The association has now a president, vice-president, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, six department superintendents concerned respectively with adult classes, primary work, the cradle rool,teacher training, the home department and temperance. Then there is an executive committee and the township presidents. The old district is not now observed.

History of Henry County

Illinois Ancestors