CHAPTER XLVI
The Northwestern Convention
[p. 155]
On the same day, October 7, 1840, that the State Convention met at Upper Alton, the Northern Association met at Bristol, now Yorkville. The places of meeting were a long distance apart. The brethren too in sympathy were somewhat apart. The southern section of the state was largely settled from the south, while the northern section was being settled chiefly from the east. The tide of immigration was now pouring most largely into the northern part of the state, so that it needed special attention. Yet the State Board seemed to be doing what it could to meet the condition, for of. the fourteen itinerant preachers and aided churches in 1841 four were in the two northern tiers of counties. The supremacy of Chicago too was already a fact large enough to cast a perceptible shadow. The Chicago pastor, it is true, was one of the executive board of the state convention, but he was too far away to attend the meetings. Brother Peck did something to bridge the chasm by visiting the Northern Association and preaching for them in 1839, but he could not repeat the visit often. And so it came about that there was a desire in the northern section of the state for a separate missionary organization.
One of the main promoters of this sentiment was Dr. L. D. Boone, an earnest and energetic professional man and man of business, and the wealthiest member of the Chicago church. He was from the south, from Virginia, but his home and his interests were in Chicago. He was appointed chairman of a committee to consider the matter of forming a northwestern convention. The committee reported favorably, saying: "The great extent from north to south both of Indiana and Illinois, renders it impracticable that an actual cooperation should exist between the extreme points."The report of the committee was adopted, and a call was issued for a general meeting at Chicago, January 6, 1841. At that meeting the Northwestern Convention for northern Illinois, northern Indiana and Wisconsin was duly organized. The officers chosen were: president, Rev. I. T. Hinton; corresponding secretary, Thomas Powell; recording secretary, Levi D. Boone; treasurer, E. B. Hulburt. The meeting adjourned to meet again in Chicago, October 6. Before that meeting Mr.
[p. 156]
Hinton had removed to St. Louis and Solomon Knapp was chosen in his stead to head the new movement. Mr. Knapp was from New York, and came west in 1840. He was a successful pastor for fifty years, and unlike most pastors of that day acquired considerable property. He was also a liberal giver. He died at his home in Joliet in 1890.
On the same day that the Northwestern Convention again met in Chicago, the state convention met at Payson. The action of the northern brethren was thus deprecated: "We regret the measures taken by our brethren in the north i~ dividing this body, while the whole denomination that cooperate in the convention are comparatively few in number and weak in resources, and hope that in the spirit of harmony and mutual cooperation they will find it convenient to review their course, espetially as the Northern Association has always had the supervision of all benevolent operations in that section of the state."It was proposed, if union could not be restored, to settle on a boundary line between the two bodies. But that would have been difficult. The Northwestern claimed the Bloomington Association but not the adjoining Salem Associatlon, probably because eastern settlers predominated in one and southern settlers in the other. But neither of these Associations would have regarded a boundary drawn for them by official hands.
In place of pastor Hinton the State Convention placed Dr. Haskell of Rockford on their executive board, thus making him a member of both boards. At the meeting of the convention in.Springfield, in 1842, no northern member of the board was appointed, but Adiel Sherwood, the new president of Shurtleff College, was added. He was a native of New York. In 1818 while a student at Andover he went to Georgia for his health, and remained there twenty-three years preachIng arid teaching. In 1841 he came to Shurtleff and did a great work there, but it was a time of great financial stress, and he resigned after four years of service. He died in St. Louis in 1879.
In 1843 the Northwestern Convention met at Yorkville, in July. R. B. Ashley had been engaged as field agent, but times were hard and money scarce. For the same reason the State Convention, meeting at Jacksonville in October, had no agent at all. They showed their desire to remove the necessity for two conventions by changing the headquarters of their board from Alton to Springfield. Charles R. Francis, one of the delegates to the Convention, died the day after adjoutnment.
[p. 157]
He and his brother Francis came from Pittsfield, Mass., to Springfield, Ill" in 1835. It was owing to their influence that the Springfield church, and largely the Springfield Association, became missionary in character. "Priceless is the value of such men! With the exception of one year C. B. Francis was clerk of the Springfield Association from its organization until his death.
In 1844 the southern convention met at Belleville, and the northern at Belvidere. Evidently the question of a union of the two bodies had been talked of and assurances given on both sides, for at the Belleville meeting a committee of ten was appointed to confer wiili a similar committee to be appointed at Belvidere. It was also ordered that the joint conference of the two committees should be held at Canton, November 21. At the Canton meeting five were present from the southern society: Alvin Bailey, Adiel Sherwood, Ebenezer Rodgers, Ezekiel Dodson, B. F. Brabrook. And seven from the northern committee: Thomas Powell, Henry G. Weston, S. S. Martin, Henry Headley, Alba Gross, Button Carpenter, B. B. Carpenter. Also Ezra Fisher and Luther Stone, representing the Rock Island Association, and Rufus Babcock of New York, secretary of the Bible Society. A joint committee of some weight was this! Rufus Babcock also, in some measure, represented John M. Peck.
The result of this conference was the adoption of a constitution for the "General Baptist Association of Illinois," to be submitted to the comipg meeting at Tremont. At the Tremont meeting, October 18, 1845, the work of the committees was ratified, and the old conventions dissolved. The State Convention thus tendered its farewell: "We must be allowed to congratulate all sections of our Zion in Illinois on the happy union that has taken place between the two Conventions. In resigning our trust to other hands, permit us to commend to your attention the southern section of our state. Men and means are both needed, and we doubt not it will be your endeavor to afford timely assistance."The Northwestern Convention thus closed its short history: "This convention was called into being by brethren in northern Illinois, on account of dissatisfaction with some of the features of the constitution of the State Convention, and to accomodate brethren in Wisconsin, Iowa and northern Indiana. Separate arrangements have since been made in Wisconsin, Iowa and INdiana. Also there has been organized the Baptist General Association of Illinois, in wh0ose constitution no objectionable feature is embraced. Therefore, resolved, that we consider the existence of the Northwestern Convention no longer necessary, and that it is now dissolved."================== [Edward P. Brand, Illinois Baptists -- A History, 1930, pp. 155-157. -- jrd]
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