(Excerpts from Clerks Records)
This is page two of the posting-if you got here first you might consider going to beginning page first-a link provided below.
As a personal sidelight, I find that during a series of meetings, my grandparents, John and Hannah Sanderson, upon profession of faith and baptism were received into membership of the church.
Evidently, they did not have a pastor then in March a special parayer session was held "that God would direct in the calling of a pastor". The advise them that we were in favor of calling Elder Alvard as a pulpit supply for six months". What happend between then and Oct 9 is not recorded. At that meeting "the deacons were instructed to correspond with the proper persons to ascertain where they can get a preacher".
Nov 7, 1880. they voted to invite Rev J Shaw to preach every second Sunday and that "the deacons go around and see how much they can get on a subscription paper to pay Rev Shaw". The minutes of the next six months deal with money raising efforts and routine affairs. Evidently, Rev. Shaw must have moved on at the conclusion of his six month term.
Aug 11, 1881. "The clerk was instructed to write to the Blue Rapids church to ascertain if they would let us havew Rev Brown come preach to us once every second Sunday". Satisfactory arrangements must have been made because the minutes for the next six years mention Rev Brown as moderator.
Aug 1883: "It was decided to revise the membership roll".
March 6, 1884: "It was unanimously voted to build a curch building on the lots given by Deacon McKee and if possible to get started by May".
No further mention is made of the building's progrss in the minutes. Evidently, it was finished by fall. Mrs Oretha (Oble) Ruettie found and passed on to me from the Blue Rapids Library this item taken from the Oct 16 1884 issue of the Blue Rapids Times. Quote: Twenty very nice seats, eight feet in length were taken from the G Fitzgerald Carpentry shop to Reedsville on Saturday for the new Baptist Church which was dedicated Sunday, last.
Dec 13, 1884: "Rev Brown, Moderator; A large crowd and a good spirit in the meeting. A resolution was passed making it the duty of the members to report themselves at each monthly meeting and a that at a three month absence without report or sufficient excuse, it shall be the duty of the church to investigate, and that in the case of members who have long neglected their covenant, the church will take action at the next covenant meeting".
Jan 11, 1895: "Resolved by the church to use unfermented wine for communion service".
They practiced "closed communion", meaning members only were permitted to participate, which was a point of irritation to some who attended but were not members. Leonard Oakley relates this incident involving his mother-in-law and a Mrs. W.L. McKee, neither of whom were members. On this Sunday while the communion service was proceeding, they sat off in a corner of the room. Mrs. McKee leaned over to Mrs. Jester and whispered behind her hand, "Do you suppose we will have a little corner in Heaven all to ourselves"?
At that Jan. meeting, several (5) "committees were appointed to wait on those members who have long absented themselves from covenant meetings".
Feb 14, 1895: "Resolved, that the next covenant meeting should be a reunion, for the purpose of promoting acquaintance and sympathy among the members and that from time to time should be encouraged. Also that the church will stand by the pastor in his efforts to secure an organ for the church. Reports of committees on delinquent members postponed". Russell told me about how his folks used to relate that there was quite a battle over that first organ as some of the members considered a "musical instrument in the church to be a tool of the Devil".
May 15, 1895: "Resolved, that as members of this church and disciples of the Lord, Jesus Christ, we feel called upon to seperate ourselves from the world, and especially in the matters of our pleasure and associations, and that we look upon dancing as a worldly practice which leads from Christ, and leads to immorality and upon which we are obliged to place our disapproval".
July, 1885: "A committee appointed to see about getting new song books".
Oct, 1885: "Decided to get an extra stove".
Only such routine affairs for the next several months. In June the names of those who had been absent for four months were read and committees appointed. In Nov. it was decided to have an oyster supper on Thanksgiving Eve.
March 1887: Committees appointed to meet with several families, among them the Deacon John McKee and his family.
May 1887: "The committees on delinquent members reported. Moved to censure Sisters Tempe McKee and Nina Dargatz and exhort the family to return to their covenant".
July, 1887: "The church decided to withdraw the hand of fellowship from Tempe McKee and Nina Dargatz. The deaconship taken from John McKee and his case held over for two months".
Sept, 1887: "The hand of fellowship withdrawn from John McKee and wife. W.G. McKee elected to fill the vacant office of deacon".
It is common knowledge in my family that the above turmoil was caused by those two young women and the dance issue. As a result of it all, the chasm of ill will was never healed. The (Uncle) John McKee family left the Baptist denomination and now nearly a hundred years later we find the donor of the churches property with his and son and daughter-in-law in the cemetary in Marysville. One of the above daughters is buried in Mississippi and the other in Florida, whereas all of the (nephew) McKee men and their families ar buried in Marshall Center.
(I am going to stop here for now, even though there are additional entries, they are numerous- I will enter the next couple of pages that John addresses as the Cemetary)
Only the cemetary remains today as mute evidence of what was once a large congregation, and is to that subject that I now direct my attention.
On Oct 3, 1931 these three above mentioned men (Mr Dane Dexter, Mr Charles Ankeny and my Father) as trustees of The Marshall Center Baptist Church and Cemetary Association, deeded the property to the Marshall County Cemetary Association. I am sure it was their intention and purpose to close and finish the life of the church and to preserve the cemetary property to the best of their ability.
At that time the care and maintenance of the cemetary was largely a community project, in which a few of the neighbors would take their teams and mowers and hand scythes, etc., and cut the hay and trim the grass and weeds among the tombstones once each fall, unless there was a funeral earlier in the summer. Interest in the care of the property gradually declined and evidence of neglect became very apparent-such as uncut grass, sunflowers and young trees growing where they should not be.
On Oct 6, 1951 my father and Charles Ankeny again deeded this propery to The Marshall County Cemetary Association and its successors. This transaction being done in order to qualify under a Kansas law that allowd such cemeteries as this to establish a district and levey a tax for funds for care and maintenance of such property. All of Center Township is included in this district and the Reedsvile Cemetary is included in the care program.
Russell Ankeny and I assumed responsiblity for the care of these properties upon the deaths of our fathers in the late fifties. At present I am the president of the board of directors, my wife is secretary-treasurer and Russell Ankeny, Quentin and Jack McMillan are the three other members.
In 1976 and 1977 committees were organized to raise funds for historical markers in each cemetery. The pictures of each appear on the flyleaf of this book. The Reedsville subscribers were mostly former students of the school. For the Center marker, Mrs. Kathleen Bigham and I contacted descendants of the former members and received generous responses.
In Conclusion and Summary portions are to follow when time permits (12/20).
