Primitive Baptist Church and Family History
Research Assistance for Polk County, Iowa

NEW BETHEL (AVON)(1850)

New Bethel Church, near Avon, was organized in 1850, and united with the Mt. Pleasant Association.

SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:

Baber, Dowel, Harrison, Helton, Hurd, Keeney, McGlothlin, Shelton, West, Whitcomb (very incomplete list due to loss of records).

PROVIDENCE (1851)

Providence Church, in Polk County, Iowa, was organized in about 1851, and united with the Des Moines River Association that year. Messengers were Elder Bonham Kester (who moved to Arkansas in 1868, a year before his death), and Brother Abraham Foutch (who moved to Nebraska by 1870), both of whom took an active part, as moderator and clerk, in the Western Association, for several years after it was formed in October 1852.

Providence Church was listed as a member of the Western Association until 1890, when the minutes show it had dissolved. Of the few (8) association minutes which still exist during that period of time (1852-1890), the only year that statistics were given for this church, 1875, show it had last reported 9 members. The only messenger's name available from the minutes was John Rees, in 1881. The exact location of the church has not yet been determined, but was probably located in Dist. 17, Camp township.

SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:

Foutch, Kester, Lewis, Monesmith, Rees (very incomplete list due to loss of records).

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