The First Presbyterian church of Brookfield township was organized in
Ottawa in 1833. The church organization was moved in 1840 to Brookfield township
because all their principal members who supported it lived south and east of the
Illinois river. It was six and eight miles east and south that the people lived.
They needed the church nearer, because the roads were so bad that it was
difficult to get to church in rainy weather. During the spring and autumn months
roads were almost impassable.
Because very little of the land was tiled
there were sink holes and bogs in the road. Also, the only means of
transportation was by horses. Most of the families used wagons, although a few
soon procured carriages, which were considered luxuries.
The church
building was not brought from Ottawa, but the membership was organized there.
They worshipped in schoolhouses until they decided to build this church. The
same building is still in use. When first built they used timber from one of the
original timber growths. There was quite a large growth of trees along the
Illinois river. They gradually built the church larger as the membership grew.
Later it was remodeled in keeping with the times. It always has been kept in
good condition.
The Brookfield church cost one thousand, five hundred
dollars. Part of the money was from a loan from the Presbyterian church office,
which did not have to be paid back as long as it remained a Presbyterian church.
There is not a definite idea as to who built this church, but the Rev.
George Marsh had a great influence in building it.
When the people of
the First Presbyterian church started to hold meetings there, there were only
thirty people attending the services. This included only a few families, as
families were very large.
The first pastor of the Presbyterian church
was the Rev. George Marsh. He came here as a missionary. Then he began preaching
sermons for the people of Brookfield township. He originally lived in Norfolk
county, Massachusetts. When twenty years of age he moved to the state of New
York. When he was thirty-eight years of age he came to Illinois and settled on
section sixteen of Brookfield township. This was his by right of claim. He had
studied for the ministry in Massachusetts before coming here and was ordained in
Ottawa in 1847 or 1848.
Three of the Marshes were clerks in different
sessions. Rev. George Marsh was clerk of the session for thirty years. His son,
John James Marsh, was elected clerk when his father resigned. He signed the book
for thirty years. Then John James Marsh's son, George Marsh, was clerk for many
years.
They have just recently remodeled it. They remodeled it in 1915.
They put it on a cement foundation and built many other rooms in it to be used
for departmental work. It looks very modern now.
They have erected a
memorial window for the Rev. George Marsh. They have his name printed on the
window. They have changed all the other things in the church except the pulpit,
which was there when the Rev. George Marsh first came.
Extracted 08 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from Stories of Pioneer Days in La Salle County, Illinois, by Grammar Grade Pupils, published in 1932, page 92.
| Lee | DeKalb | Kane |
| Bureau |
 |
Kendall |
| Putnam | Grundy | |
| Marshall | Woodford | Livingston |
