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First United Methodist Church
Lexington
McLean County, Illinois

Transcribed by: Teri Moncelle Colglazier

Church History
(1830 - 1976)

[by: Mrs. Franklin (Berdean) Freed, Mrs. Robert (Marilyn) Donnell, Mrs. Leslie (Dorothy) Stewart and Mrs. Kenneth (Beverly) Dunahee - 1976 Bicentennial Issue of First United Methodist Church member directory]       Before the Methodist E. Church emerged in Lexington, it’s roots were developing in small pioneer settlements in surrounding areas. For all practical purposes, these settlements, as visited by circuit riders Stephen Biggs, William Crissey and Henry Maynard as early as the 1830’s were located on water banks. The Patton settlement was located on the Mackinaw River at Pleasant Hill, Smith’s Grove was located on Money Creek near Towanda, and another small group was located on Henline Creek. The earliest built “Church House”, as it was called, was built in 1845 by the Patton settlement in Pleasant Hill. This was recognized as the first church body organized in McLean County. The structure was crudely built of native black walnut. The siding, shingles, floor and window frames were all hand-sawn and hewn at a local sawmill. Dressed basewood planks served as pews where men and women were seated separately. The pulpit, also made of walnut, was enclosed within wooden hinged gates with steps leading up to it. It had been in use four years, when Rock River Conference appointed Rev. Nimrod H. Gregg pastor.       His enthusiasm and zeal rapidly spread into the Lexington area, too, where he gained adequate support to establish a “Methodist Society”. This group met in houses, a school building on the square and in the United Brethren Church. By 1855, under Gregg’s influence a frame building measuring 45 feet by 65 feet and costing $2,700 was erected on the same sight as the present First United Methodist Church. In contrast, the present title is brief, compared to the legal charter given in 1856 which read “The First Society in Lexington, McLean County, Illinois of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States of America” From the beginning, the congregation grew and the same pastors served at both Pleasant Hiill and Lexington until 1858.       On two occasions the Lexington Church had the distinguished privilege of hosting the Central Illinois Conference Meeting, first in 1866 and again in 1882. The later meeting came one year after the brick auditorium of the present structure was built at a cos of $5,361.       In 1907 the addition of classrooms to the north of the sanctuary proved an area large enough to accommodate the needs of a growing congregation. At the same time the beautiful chandelier which still hangs in the sanctuary, and the pipe organ were installed. Traditionally, the congregational singing was conducted by qualified leaders and a mere tuning fork from early beginnings until the organ was introduced. In the 1930’s an orchestra was developed and many beautiful musical programs were given. During the same decade a basement and kitchen area was excavated under the original brick structure. It became necessary to replace the pipe organ in 1970 with an electric organ.       For its 100th birthday in 1955, the church spread even further to the north gaining an education wing of 8 classrooms and a full basement.      In the year 1975 a repetition of history was evident. Once again the church body was sharing a pastor with another church. This time it was the Evangelical United Methodist Church.

Circa 1886 [1976 Membership Directory]

Circa 1907 [1976 Membership Directory]

Circa 1907 [1976 Membership Directory]

[1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory]

Addems Arbogast Arnold (2) Bachman Baker Bane (2) Barnard (2) Barr Beck (5) Berry Birlingmair Blakney (6) Blandford Bornder (2) Botkin (3) Bounds Boyd Brammer Brooks (3) Brown (3) Brucker Brunson Burgess Buzzard Cable Center Charlson (2) Cheever Christianson Claggett (2) Cole (2) Compton Conant Crum Cox Dabney Dady Dameron (2) Daniels Davis (3) Dawson (2) Dearth Denney Dobbs Dodson (3) Donnell Dunahee Dunn Durflinger

Eagan Edmonds Elson Essington Fairchild Fasking (2) Fawer Fever (2) Freed (10) Friedli Gentes Gerwick Gibson Giles Gleeson (2) Greb Green Grimsley Hackman Hall Hammond Hardesty Hardman (5) Hardt (3) Harmon (2) Harrison Hartman Heaton (2) Hefner (3) Heineman Hodges Hurst Hutson (2) Jacobs (2) Jackson Jones Kahle Kaufman (2) Kelley (3) Kemp (4) Kiper Lauher (5) Lauitson Learned Lindenbaum Lindholm (4) Ling (2) Locke Long Lovett

Malcom McHugh McKey McNeely Mean Mehl Michael Miles Miller Milton Minnick Moncelle (3) Mool (2) Moore Morris Moser Myers (3) Nally Neal Nichols Nielsen Owens (4) Palmer (3) Parmele Patel Patton (2) Payne (2) Phillips Pick Polk Powell (3) Prebeck Pree Prewitt (2) Puyear Raber (2) Radtke Ralston Redic Rediger (2) Reum Richard Richardson Riddle Riebe Ruckman

Samples Sandness Schockley Schumm Slagell Slown Smith (3) Sonkin Stewart (4) Stichter Stimpert Stoutamoyer Stover Stubblefield Thomas (2) Thompson (2) Tibbs Towner Tracy (4) Turnipseed Underwood Vipond (2) Vlastnik Wagner (2) Wahls Ward Watt Weidner (2) West Wheeler Whisman Wick (3) Wilcox Williams Woodard Worth Wright

[1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory] [1976 Membership Directory]

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1984 Surname Member List
(number of families)

[1984 Membership Directory] [1984 Membership Directory] [1984 Membership Directory] [1984 Membership Directory]

Addems Arnold Bachman Barnard (3) Beck (2) Berry (2) Betts Birchler Birlingmair Blair Blakney (5) Bornder Botkin Bounds Boyd Brandt Brannan Brooks Brown (3) Brucker Burge Cable Cheever Claggett Clemmons Coffey Cole (2) Compton Crawford Crum Dameron (2) Davis Dawson (2) Dearth Derango Dietsch Dodson Donnell (3) Downes Dunahee (2) Dunn

Fairchild (2) Fasking (2) Fever Finley Forrest Freed (10) Friedli Frohlich Gentes (2) Gibson Gleeson (2) Gnagy Hackman Hall (3) Hardesty Hardt Harmon Harris Harrison Hartzler Hawthorne Heaton (2) Hefner Hively Hodges Hutson (3) Jacobs (2) Jones (3) Justice Kahle Kaufman (3) Keagle Kelley (2) Kemp (3) Kiper Kirby Kirk Lapp Lauher (3) Lauritson Learned Lindenbaum (2) Lindholm Ling Linton

Maltz Martin Mayer McHugh McNeely (3) Mead Meade (2) Michael Miles Miller (2) Moncelle (2) Mool Morris Myers (3) Newberry Nichols Nielsen (3) Ninesling Noland Oertwig Owens (2) Palmer (2) Parmele Patel Patton (2) Payne (2) Polk Poshard Powell (3) Puyear Raber Ralston Ransdell Redic Rediger Reed Richard Riddle (2) Rund

Schmink Severns Singley Slown Smith (3) Soriano Stephey Steward Stewart (3) Stover Stubblefield Swan Tallon Thacker Thomas (3) Thompson Tibbs (3) Tone Towner Tracy (2) Turner Underwood (2) Vass Wagner (2) Wahls Watt Watts Weidner West Whalen Wick (2) Wilcox Wilder Williams Wisdom Worth (2)

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