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Life and Travels of William Conrad
Chapter IV - His Second tour to the West
In 1835, in company with Col. Joel B. Hume, Samuel Banks, Job Ashcraft and my oldest son, Isaac B. Conrad, I returned to the West. And, lo! when we reached there, all seemed sad about Mill Creek, Illinois. Only two years before, all was joy and peace-songs of praise and joy of heart, that the Lord was calling poor sinners from death in trespasses and sins, to hope in God, their Savior. But now their harps on the willows hung, and disappointment was now my lot; for the blessed season of joy in 1832 had, on my journey, loomed up so vividly that my hope became heightened that we should of God be blessed again with a refreshing from his presence. Hence, in this case, was verified Paul's saying, "So, then, it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." But, notwithstanding, as under former scenes of disappointment and sadness of heart, I tried to preach around among the brethren at Mill Creek and Fall Creek churches of Old School Baptists as well as at other places, and in the brethren's houses, and passed on to Quincy, at that time, as in 1832, so small that it could not in truth be called a small village. Thence, Col. Joel B. Hume, Samuel Banks, Isaac B. Conrad and myself crossed the Mississippi river at Quincy, on a ferry boat, passed through the large bottom of fiat land and timber, crossed the South Fabbi river on a raft of logs, at quite a peril or risk of life, (for the river was swollen from heavy rains), taking our saddles with us on the raft, when our horses were driven across to us after our safe landing, by a citizen and his sons, who had kindly aided in making our raft on which to cross. So, after we had all caught and saddled our horses, we went on to an old acquaintance's from Kentucky, who had located near Monticello, Mo., and was a nephew of Col. Joel B. Hume, Mr. Emery Wheeler son of old Geo. F. Wheeler, Who had emigrated from Kentucky to the State of Illinois some years before.
After a few days, not preaching more than twice, we returned back, crossing the great water into Adams county, Illinois, and to the neighborhood of Mill Creek church, Fall Creek and Pigeon Creek churches. My Brother Robert Childers, wife and family, had just landed in the same county, from my old county of Grant, Kentucky. After preaching a few times with the brethren and friends at the above churches, we took our leave of the dear brethren, sisters and friends, as we then thought, to meet no more in this world of woe. We felt it was hard to part thus with our friends in the far West; for it then seemed a great distance, (said to be five hundred and fifty miles, or from twelve to fourteen days of hard riding,) and to leave our old deacon and dear family there at the same time, with whom we had spent so many joyful moments with him, wife and dear family, especially bearing in memory his untiring service as deacon or elder, and being one of the members first organized, as named above, (called the Church of Christ's Particular Baptists,) in which church this brother. Robert Childers, waded side by side with the writer in that heavy conflict; of bitterest persecution for the truth's sake, which passed for a number of years, but finally gave way, and the opposition to the doctrine of the writer, and as yet held by the church, is no more openly withstood, nor does the writer know or hear of those holding different doctrine, or their leaders, attacking even the weaker members of the church about the doctrine by us held. And thus reaching our homes again in Kentucky, having been absent some over four weeks, being a few days after our September meeting, in 1835.
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