Old New Garden Church (Primitive Baptist) Fishing River Township

(Old) New Garden Primitive Baptist Church From History of Ray County, Missouri 1881 This church constitutes the next oldest existing religious organization in Ray County, Missouri. It was organized April 23, 1824, by Elders James Williams and William Turnage. The following list includes the names of all the original members, most of whom have been dead many years, to-wit: L. Fletcher, C. Odell, S. Hutchins, N. Odell, John Hutchins, John Turner, John Clevenger, Mrs. Elizabeth Fletcher, Rachel Odell, Elizabeth Hutchins, Jane Turner, Mary Odell, Patsy Turnage, Nancy Chapman, and Lucy Woods. A very rude log building was erected in 1824, as a place of worship. To accomplish its erection the out-lay in money was, of course, very trifling; probably the only real cost was the time and labor of the members who built it. The first pastor of this church was Elder William Turnage, whose name is frequently mentioned in this work in connection with religious services, and as one of the pioneer preachers of the West. He preached in the Buffalo settlement as early as A.D. 1816, and subsequently - prior to the organization of the church of which we write - at Old Bluffton, (Camden) where he also kept a "tavern" in 1821. The other pastors of this church at an early day were, R. Hicks, Isaac Odell, William C. Garrett, and Aaron Odell. The number of the present membership is: Regular Baptist, thirty-six; others, fifty. About the year A.D. 1858, a new church house was erected. It is a frame, the dimensions of which are thirty by forty feet, with twelve foot posts. In 1862 a dissention arose between the members of this church, growing out of the "test oath", prescribed by the St. Louis convention; a division took place, and the organization continues disunited, both factions retaining the original name, but attending different associations. Taken in part from Ray County History 1881 Old New Garden Cemetery

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