I'm a Primitive Baptist minister (in pioneer days, called Regular Baptist, or Predestinarian Baptist), and am trying to compile a history of our early pioneer churches, county by county. I'm presently trying to unravel the history of a church called Bethel. The story seems to begin, however, with a church called "Springfield" which was organized sometime between 1824 and 1827, southwest of present-day New City, in Cotton Hill township. The unique description of the deed on which this (log?) church once stood, begins with a certain white oak tree on the bank of Howell's Spring Branch. Samuel Howell and his wife, Polly Howell, gave the land to the "Springfield" church, in April 1830. The church's Trustees were Valentine R. Mallory, John Crowder, and John Dunlap. This church, Springfield, is listed in the 1828 minutes of the Sangamon Association, at which time it had 34 members. However, in May 1831, this "Springfield" church no longer is listed - and although I am not sure, I think probably because a new church with that name had been organized, in August 1830, in the village of Springfield proper. It is only supposition on my part, but I believe the old "Springfield" church in the country on the Spring Branch creek, changed its name to Bethel. There is a church listed in the May 1831 minutes, called Bethel, and its messengers are the same names as the members of the old Springfield church, and the number of members is about the same. Some of the members whose names appeared in this Springfield or Bethel church, before 1836, were John Dunlap (1785-1856), Elder Michael Mann, Samuel Howell, Elder Charles Harper, Samuel Hendrick, and William King. Michael Mann is shown as a member of the "Springfield" church in 1828, and also he and Samuel Howell are shown as members of the "Bethel" church in 1831. The association minutes for 1829 and 1830 have not survived. The next mystery associated with the history of this church, which I've been unable to solve, is that at least some of the Dunlaps later are found in the vicinity of Cantrall, in the northern part of the county, and are buried in the Brittin cemetery, and the Bethel church is described as being near there, around the turn of the last century (1900). I am hoping to find out if there was a church at or very near this Brittin Cemetery, and that it was called Bethel, and the Dunlaps were members there, including John Ray Dunlap and his wife Emily Ann Brown Dunlap, Isaac Dunlap, Susannah Dunlap Brown, Henry and Margaret C. Nave, James E. Brassfield, B. Brassfield, Elizabeth A. Bennett, S. W. Williams, Jennie Young Smith (wife of Stewart H. Smith), Eli Date, and others. S. W. Williams was the clerk of Bethel Church in about 1897-1899, and then was followed by Jennie Powers from at least 1902-1909. They were both from Athens, Illinois, which seems to identify the church as now being located in that vicinity, probably very near the Brittin Cemetery. I mention these because the clerk usually had the church records, and descendants of the clerks usually still have them, if they have not been destroyed. I am interested in trying to locate the church records, or a picture or deed which proves the location of Bethel Church perhaps being about a mile or two southeast of Cantrall, or, any other information anyone may wish to share. Sincerely, Elder Robert Webb ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.