Rev George Washington Graham, 1879-1953

 Rev. George Washington Graham
20th Pastor of Herrin FBC
1928-1934

Born: February 20, 1879… Big Creek, Missouri

Died: October 15, 1953… Lebanon, Missouri

Licensed by the Hickory Grove Church (Missouri) at age 15, and ordained by the First Church in Farmington (Missouri) at age 36.

Rev Graham (age 39) married Miss Lillian Nina Renfroe (age 37) in St. Louis, 1918.  They had no known children.

St. Louis in 1918

During WWI, Graham served as a Chaplain at

Camp Funston in Kansas.  Camp Funston was a

training camp located on the grounds of

Fort Riley.  It was one of 16 camps that were

established at the outbreak of WWI for use as

infantry division training camps.  During WWII,

he was promoted all the way up to Major in

the Chaplain’s Reserve Corp.

Camp Funston during WWI

In the 1930 census (the only census taken while

Graham lived in Herrin), the family lived at

420 South 14th Street.

420 South 14th St, Herrin

The building that Rev Graham served in, 1928-1934

Rev Graham’s father John, was taken from his

home by a group of Confederate guerillas in late

1864.  In a statement later made by a neighbor

(who was also taken at the same time), the

Confederates took the men from their homes

and “compelled” them to leave.  The men were

taken south into Arkansas and kept to the

countryside.  The Missouri men were able to

escape about 50 miles from Memphis, on the

Arkansas side of the river. The men that escaped

became Union soldiers after their ordeal.

Rev. Graham’s grandfather Carter Graham,  was a

pioneer Baptist in Southeast Missouri.  In 1835,

with the help of William Settle, the Big Creek

Baptist Church was founded.  Both Graham and

Settle would serve as Pastor.  The Big Creek Baptist

Church is still around, and just celebrated their

190th anniversary in April 2025.  

Today's Big Creek Baptist Church

Rev K.W. Ingram, 1852-1935

 Kenan Wright (K.W.) Ingram

10th Pastor of Herrin FBC

1898-1899

Born: February 8, 1852… Macedonia, Franklin/Hamilton County, IL

Died: December 23, 1935… McLeansboro, Hamilton County, IL

K.W.’s parents arrived in Hamilton County, IL, to clear and farm the land, sometime between 1830 and 1840.  They had 11 known children. Of their 8 sons, 5 of them are known to have served (and survived!) in the Union Army during the Civil War.

In 1871, K.W. married Laura Josephine Upton. They had 6 known children, but only 3 of them survived to adulthood.

At the request of the Union Baptist Church in Hamilton County, IL, a council met and ordained Ingram on April 17, 1881.

He would go on to serve several churches over the years. Some of the ones we know about are...

• Peters Creek Baptist Church, Elizabethtown IL
• Union Baptist Church, Hamilton County IL
• Herrin's Prairie Baptist Church, Herrin IL
• Antioch Baptist Church, Macedonia IL
• Blooming Grove Baptist Church, McCleansboro IL

When Ingram wasn't preaching, he was farming. He lived in Hamilton and Franklin Counties in Illinois, all of his life.

His wife Laura passed away in 1916. He remarried Esther Hays in 1918. She would go on to live until 1941.

Rev. Ingram is buried in Antioch Cemetery, near McCleansboro, IL.

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Rev. Hugh McAlpin, 1821-1895

 REV. HUGH MCALPIN

4TH PASTOR, 1876-1880

7TH PASTOR, 1883-1887

OF HERRIN FBC

David Hugh McAlpin was born March 9, 1821 in Matteawan, Dutchess County, New York. He was the first generation McAlpin born in America.

In 1840, he arrived in Salisbury, North Carolina and began work as a supervisor in a textile mill.

In March of 1843, he married Miss Charlotte Allen, in Lexington, North Carolina. They raised 10 known children.

In 1847, McAlpin was licensed by the Rockfish Church in Sampson County, NC.

In 1848, he was ordained by the Cape Fear Baptist Association.

In 1850, he began pastoring at Boykin's Chapel (Sampson Co, NC) and served there for about 20 years.

He led a "great revival" in 1853 at teh Cedar Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville, NC. Church membership increased to 115.

During the Civil War, he visited the Confederate Army camps as a Chaplain.

In 1871, he was elected moderator for the Baptist Eastern Association. Around the same time, he was elected as a Trustee to Wake Forest College.

In 1876, McAlpin moved his family to Southern Illinois and began pastoring at Herrin's Prairie, at what would become the Herrin First Baptist Church. He served for one year. In his spare time, he was a farmer. He returned to Herrin FBC in 1883 and served until 1887.

From the Marion Monitor, May 26, 1881:

“Rev. Hugh McAlpin, of the Baptist Church of this city, immersed four converts in the Aikman pond, near this city, last Sunday afternoon in the presence of a large congregation.”

In 1886, he helped start the Carterville FBC with 12-14 members of the Hurricane Missionary Baptist Church.

His wife Charlotte passed away in 1890. Rev. McAlpin passed away as a result of paralysis, on February 20, 1895. They are buried in the McAlpin Cemetery, located near the Williamson County Airport in Illinois.

“... Rev Hugh is remembered as a Baptist Circuit rider who lived with his family on McAlpin Hill, a short distance to the northwest of Bainbridge.  Among his characteristics were his ability as a pulpit orator, his influential sermons with their warmth and deep understanding, and moreover his life as a Christian influence wherever he went…”

Some of the churches Hugh McAlpin served in:

• Rockfish Church, Sampson County NC

• Boykin’s Chapel, Sampson County NC

• Cedar Creek Baptist Church, Fayetteville NC

• Clinton Baptist Church, Clinton NC

• Herrin’s Prairie Baptist Church, Herrin IL

• Marion FBC, Marion IL

• Williams Prairie Church, Johnston City IL

• Carterville FBC, Carterville IL

• Hurricane Church, Carterville IL