HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 475 ant Exchange, Mount Gilead and Sugar Tree Grove. The ministers at this meeting were Isaac Lane, R. Seal and D. Warren ; Isaac Lane was moderator again and Thomas Dick- son was chosen clerk. The next year's meet- ing met at Big Creek church in Iron county, one other organization was added, this being Highland church. The third annual meeting was with Bethlehem church in Reynolds county in 1870. At this time there were only 6 churches in the association, l)ut the next year, 1871, Denning Chapel, Pleasant Valley, Locust Grove, White Oak Grove, Black Oak Grove and Friendship churches were received. The meeting was held at Pleasant Exchange in Reynolds county ; Samuel S. Beard was mod- erator. In 1874 the association consisted of 16 churches with a membership of 584 and 6 ordained ministers. The territory of this association is now in Franklin and Reynolds counties. The asso- ciation had 21 churches in 1910 with a mem- bership of 1,468. The churches were: Centre- ville, 95; Dickens Valley, 90; Lesterville, 136; Pine Dale — ; Bethany, 34 ; Bethlehem, 85 ; New Hope, 20; Dry Valley, 47; Oak Grove, 71 ; Redford, 122 ; Ellington, 149 ; Lone Cedar, 50 ; Logan Creek, 54 ; Roland Hill, 83 ; Corri- don, 12 ; Van Buren, 68 ; Cedar Grove, 196 ; Sinking Creek, 28 ; Hopewell, 41 ; West Fork, 47 and Black River — . Bethel Association was continually sending off groups of churches for the establishment of other associations. In 1860 a group of churches in Iron count.v consisting of ]Iount Pleasiint, Big Creek, Pilgrims Rest, White Oak Grove, Sugar Tree Grove, Mount Gilead, Mount Zion and Locust Grove organized an association called the Central ilissouri Asso- ciation. The ministers concerned in this or- ganization were William Polk, Harry Young and James Ritter. All of these churches had been members of Bethel Association and were dismissed from that organization in 1859. This association met in 1860 at Mount Zion in Washington county ; at that time Isaac Lane was moderator and David Adams was clerk. There were 13 churches in the association at this time, 8 of which were represented at the meeting reporting a total membership of 367. The ministers were N. Adams, Isaac Lane, G. W. Bay and P. McCracken. The next year Central Missouri Association met at Pleasant Grove in Iron county; there wei'e 13 churches represented reporting a total membership of 528. Seven of these churches were then dismissed to form a new association called Concord. In 1874 the Central ^lissouri Association had 9 churches with a total membership of 283, and there were 5 ordained ministers. The churches constituting the association were no longer confined to Iron and Washington counties, but were scattered over Dent, Rey- nolds and IIadison counties as well. This asso- ciation is now disbanded and the churches are in other organizations. Jefferson County Association was organized at Bethlehem church, October 8, 1853; there were representatives present from Bethlehem, Swashing, Mount Zion, Calvary, Sandy and Little Maramec, all of them being in Jeffer- .son county. The ministers of the association were James Williams, Washington Stevens, William McKay, J. C. Hudspeth, Sullivan Frazier and John H. Hensley; James Wil- liams was the moderator of this first meeting. The meeting of 1856 was held with Swashing church ; three new churches were added to the association. The meeting of 1869 was held at ]lount Zion church, tlie moderator being W. Stevens, who also preached the opening ser-
