fbpx

Early Church Services in Baileyville, Kansas

In the early ’80s before any church
had been built in Baileyville,
Kansas, the people met in the
schoolhouse for worship. Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists took turns.

One time the Baptist pastor could
not come so sent a layman to hold services. When the meeting opened there wasn’t
a Bible in the house but Scripture was quoted from memory and services were
held.

A small boy, Loren Thompson, was so
upset because the people had no Bible that he went to town the next morning and
talked to the merchant and postmaster, Mr. Will Crow. They decided to take a
collection for a Bible. Twenty-four men responded with gifts of from 25 to 50
cents, totaling $8. The Bible was purchased and they specified it was to be
left at the schoolhouse but would become the property of the first denomination
that built a church in Baileyville. The Bible became the property of the Baptist Church when it was dedicated June 23,
1884.

Mrs. Albert S. Hay, Jr.
Onaga, Kansas


Back in 1955 a call
went out from the editors of the then
Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true
pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their
children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers,
all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made
to create a book, and in 1956, the first
My
Folks title – My Folks Came in a
Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine
other books have since been published in the
My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to
make those stories available to our growing online community.