The History of Salt River Association

The early American settlers took very few personal belongings into the wilderness, but for most of them their religious convictions and practices were not things that could be left behind. In the midst of unknown dangers, lean harvests, scarce provisions, fierce winters and unforeseeable tragedies, they established congregations, recruited preachers and built churches. Some of the earliest, most complete and most accurate records of pioneer life are gleaned from church documents kept during these folklore-like times. Wiley Patrick in the History of Salt River Association, Missouri, diligently records and preserves the Baptist history of this community and includes information about some of its earliest families including the following surnames: Mountjoy, Givens, Beauchamp, Buchanan, Plunkett, Carter, Moss, Biggs, and Keach. He describes the lives of its rugged congregants in revealing personal profiles, including the Reverend Ruddell, who was captured by Indians and lived with them for many years before returning to preach among the settlers; and Elizabeth Biggs, who at eighty still galloped on horseback around the countryside; or orphaned Almeda Griffith, who at fifteen left for Maryland on her own. He also gave perspective to current events of the time and how they affected the church, like the imposition of the ironclad oath, a profession of loyalty to the union required of all preachers at the time of the Civil War. For any family with a Baptist background, no doubt this book would help to confirm or identify Missouri family members. Of special note are profiles of many church elders, including some self-portraits of those living at the time this book was originally published. The personal details included in some of these brief biographies would delight any historian and enhance the reader's picture of the time and its inhabitants. This is a must-buy book for anyone researching their Baptist heritage in Missouri. The illustrations are limited to photographs of church elders.