Salt River Association

At the house of Mr. Eli Bozarth, three miles south of Paris, Missouri, brethren and sisters met and were organized into a church May 7, 1831, by Elders Archibald Patterson and Edward Turner. The constituent members were John Luney, Mary Luney, Paul Herriford, Sarah Herriford, John H. Curry, Matilda Curry, Benjamin Luney, Mary Luney, Isaac Coppage, Edward Turner, Lucretia Turner, Nancy Donaldson, Mary Smith, C. C. Acuff, Peter N. Mahan, John C. Mahan, John Hocker, Fanny Pool and a black man, Peter. The name given to the church was Bethlehem. At the June meeting Eld. Edward Turner was chosen to supply the pulpit; John Luney and John Hocker were elected deacons, and John H. Curry was elected clerk. At the meeting the following August the church agreed to enter the Salt River Association and elected E. Turner, J. Luney and J. Hocker messengers to that body, to attend the approaching session of the Association, which met with Siloam Church, Pike county, the first day of October, 1831. The church was received into associational fellowship. At the April meeting, 1832, the name of the church was changed to that of Middle Fork. In 1833 William Armstrong succeeded J. H. Curry in the clerkship of the church. “During this year a church called Eanon was consolidated with this church. It was during this that the old brick meeting house that by the bridge was built. At the April meeting, 1833, Dr. Gustavus M. Bower was licensed to preach. The church appears in Salt River Association in 1834 with Paris as her name. The messengers this year are E. Turner, A. Patterson, W. Arnold, W. Saling, who served in the body when she met with the Salt River Church, Ralls county, on the 22^nd day of August, 1834. The churches in the northern and western parts of the Association having come to an understanding to form a new Association, the Paris messengers at this session obtained a letter to into the new body. John Davis was chosen to prepare a letter to the contemplated new organization. E. Turner, A. Patterson, W. Arnold and William Saling were chosen as messengers to help form the new body, which met with Bethel Church, Marion county, the 3^rd Saturday in October, 1834. The organization was effected and this younger sister was called Bethel; the first moderator was Eld. Christy Gentry, the first clerk was Hon. William Carson.