Part 2 In order to give intelligently the history of the Methodist Epscopal church in Davenport in its beginning, it is necessary to note the development of the same in connection with the work of Methodism in Rock Island and in Rockingham, Iowa, under the auspices of the Illinois conference.  In order to obtain this retrospect it is necessary to rely mainly on the information kindly frunished by two of the members of the first Methodist society formed in Davenport, W. L. Cook and Israel Hall. In the minutes of the Illinois conference held at Union Grove, Illinois, September, 1833, Rock Island is named as a mission of the Quincy district, with Peter Cartwright presiding elder and Asa McMurtry preacher for Rock Island.  The latter preached a few times in Rockingham, Iowa.  In the conference minutes of 1834 D. C. James is the preacher named for the Rock Island mission.  He preached quite often at Rockingham.  In August, 1836, the Methodist society was organized at Rockingham and a class formed, consisting of about seven or eight members.  A. H. Davenport was appointed elder.  This society was then a mission of the Illinois conference.  At a meeting of that conference held at Springfield, October, 1836, the Rockingham circuit was formed, believed to be the third circuit organized in Iowa, and Chauncey Hobart, who died in Red Wing, Minnesota, within a year or two ago, at the advanced age of ninety years, was sent to take charge of the work.  This was a circuit of about two hundred miles, extending from the mouth of the Iowa river on the south to the Wapsipinicon on the north, and as far into the interior as any white settlers would be found.  A society was to be formed wherever a sufficient number could be found willing to so unite. Chauncey Hobart had been a soldier in the Black Hawk war and was well fitted by experience to endure all the hardships of such a field of labor.  He traveled a country whose roadways were illy defined, its streams unbridged, and its inhabitants widely scattered.  Rockingham was the only town of any importance within the bounds of the circuit, and during the first winter there were but two other regular appointments, one at a little town called Black Hawk, near the mouth of the Iowa river, and one at the home of Roswell H. Spencer, in Pleasant Valley.  About sixty members were gathered into the church and the next year the number of appointments was increased.  But the society at Rockingham remained the center and probably contained more members than all the others together.  In the year 1838 Chauncey Hobart was succeeded by his brother, Norris Hobart.  In 1839 H. J. Brace was placed in charge, assisted by B. H. Cartwright, brother of the well known Peter Cartwright, and with this year began the history proper of the Methodist Episcopal church in Davenport. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L