> Merle, was there ever an actual Brethren Church (with a name to have records available) in the southern borderline of Muhlenberg-Logan Counties, Kentucky - minister Francis Stump - period 1795-1805 ?? The exodus of most of the group of families who were Brethren seemed to have emigrated to Edgar County, Illinois about 1825. A member of the Rhoades (Rodes, Roads - perhaps given name Henry) family may have also been a minister there. > > Francis Stump died August 1801 and left a will. I'm now looking for a burial service or place of burial. At the present time, I do not have actual records of more than one or two of the Kentucky churches. I do not know enough about churches in Muhlenberg County, Originally this was called "Green River Country" - Muhlenberg County was primarily formed out of Logan County (originally Lincoln County). Logan County is now just the county that is south of Muhlenberg. East of Muhlenberg and Logan Counties was Warren County, the south part of it is now Simpson County. Simpson County is the primary location of the Drakes Creek Church, where I have located a Lick Creek Primitive Baptist Church of the 1840s (at Gold City) that includes some of the family names of the Drakes Creek Church. But Drakes Creek seems to have included members in Logan County. How much these two church areas were connected, I don't know, but both of them have members moving to Missouri-Illinois, and few if any in Missour or Illinois came from the other Kentucky churches (there was migration from the Indiana churches -who had moved north from Shelby and Oldham counties KY). The original settlement of the Green River County, Muhlenberg, was a party from Brothersvalley, (Somerset County) Pennsylvania (the Rhodes, Kimmels, and soon including Francis Stump). According to David Eller (Brethren in the Western Ohio Valley, dissertation, pp83-4) Francis Stump obtained 200 acres from Daniel Rhoads in 1797, and another 170 acres the next year. This land was near Pond Creek (or Pond River which flows south off the Green River) near Bremen KY. In 1801 he made a headright claim for 150 acres on Rock Fork of Mud River. Mud River goes nearly due south from the Green River west of Rochester. Mud River is about 20 miles west of Bowling Green, and the Pond River is about 20 miles west of the Mud River. Drakes Creek flows south of the Barren River (branch of the Green River) from Bowling Green. Philip Kimmel, husband of Rachel Martin Stump (who died 1810), claimed headrights on Deer Lick Creek in Logan County in 1796-87. In 1803 he claimed 100 acres on the Mud River. The well known Elder George Wolfe lived on the Wolf Lick Creek of the Mud River, just south of the Muhlenberg line. The primary church of the Rhoads and others seems to be the Hazel Creek Baptist Church. I have not yet investigated the records of this church, to see if it might have been originally Brethren. My investigations into Muhlenberg County have only begun. Merle C Rummel

My 5th grt granduncle, Christian Gish b. 1756 Lancaster, PA, d. 1814 Muhlenberg Co, KY, brought his entire family of nine to Muhlenberg Co, KY, after a sojourn in Botetourt Co, VA. Originally all or most of them were Brethren, but some became Baptists, as Merle mentions. They intermarried with France/Frantz, Noffsinger, and other Brethren families, and their spreading out in Muhlenberg Co, shortly after it was formed in 1797, is pretty well documented in the book "Christian Gish of Virginia" compiled by Josephine Costello Huffaker, a Gish descendant. Wayne Lucore Merle Rummel wrote: Originally this was called "Green River Country" - Muhlenberg County was primarily formed out of Logan County (originally Lincoln County). Logan County is now just the county that is south of Muhlenberg. East of Muhlenberg and Logan Counties was Warren County, the south part of it is now Simpson County.