in his salary, and, at the end of that year, wrote: "This church is truly becoming one of the most pleasant churches in the land and will soon become one of the most desirable situations for an efficient preacher in the whole West. . . . When God in His providence shall indicate to me that this place demands another than a frontier man, if my health and that of my family permit, I hope once more to take a frontier post." The church had forty members at the time he left it.
He had hoped to go to Texas in the fall of 1839, but, disappointed in this, he went at that time to Iowa Territory. So far as is known, there is no record of why he did not go to Texas or of his first year's work in Iowa, save that he preached for a time at Bloomington, now Muscatine, and also at Wapsipinikie, now Independence. In serving these places, it is likely that he devoted considerable time to exploring and endeavoring to relieve the general field.
In 1841, when he again takes pen to report his movements since November, 1840, we find him the only Baptist minister in a region "from twenty to fifty miles in width, extending from the mouth of the Iowa river up the Mississippi to the mouth of the Macoquetois [Moquoketa] and thence up that stream some ten miles above its forks." His station was Davenport.
In endeavoring to relieve the destitution, he travelled during the quarter ending December 10, 1841, seven hundred and fifty miles. Through all that part of Iowa territory and across the river at Rock Island, Ill., and neighboring points, his was a familiar figure for more than five years. He preached the gospel, made religious visits to hundreds of homes, took a leading part in organizing the Baptist work in the territory and in organizing temperance societies, gave many addresses on the subjects of temperance and of Sunday schools and secured numerous signatures to the temperance pledge.
The larger part of his time was given to the churches in Davenport and in Muscatine, the latter church having been
