H. Romsa and Elias Fronsdahl, deacons, and B. Ersland, J. E. Holverson and C. Christianson, trustees; with H. O. Hendrikson, treasurer, and John Stenberg, secretary. They began with about twenty-five families under Pastor Rev. E. H. Myhre, and have been under Rev. H. C. Holm since 1881. After meeting in the school-house at Sheldahl, a frame church, erected by the Polk City congregation of the Hauge Church, was used, and in 1878 it was moved into town and rebuilt. In 1888 it was again removed to its present site at Slater, where it is the only church. There are but few Hauge families. The church is valued at about $1,200, and the membership includes about seventy families. They have the usual societies.
There are also small societies at Huxley and Fieldburg Church.
The Dunkard or Tunker Churches of Story County belong to the middle district of Iowa, a territory embraced by two east and west tiers of counties across the State. The chief society is at Maxwell, while a few Members are west of Ames.
The Indian Creek Church at Maxwell was begun in July, 1856, by Elder Henry Neff, of Indiana, and Isaac Neff, of Virginia, with these members: Henry Flora and wife, Joel Brubaker and wife, Joseph Brubaker and wife, Washington Turner and wife, and John R. Ellison, all but two from Virginia. Rev. Henry Flora became the first pastor, and Joel and Joseph Brubaker, deacons. Within four years this society succeeded in forming four other societies in its territory, with a total membership of about 150. At first the district used school-houses, but now they have ten churches of a plain style, most of them from forty feet to seventy feet. At present the Indian Creek Church near Maxwell has ninety members. Rev. Joel Brubaker assisted the first pastor from 1858 to 1862. Elder G. R. Baker was the third pastor from 1863 to 1875, when the present pastor, Elder D. E. Brubaker, took charge. They have a good Sabbath-school. It may be explained that Tunker, or Baptist, is the proper name, as Dunkard is an American corruption of the German.
The Methodist Episcopal Churches, which began in Iowa in 1839, had two districts 1840, a conference in 1844, two conferences in 1858, now have four, and of these the Des Moines Conference, which was organized in 1860, covers Story County churches, which embrace, of the Boone District, Nevada, Ames, Colo, Cambridge, Maxwell, Collins and their associate charges, among which are Gilbert and Bloomington. The earliest records of general Methodist meetings in Story County state that a quarterly meeting was held in Iowa Center School-house February 24, 1855, and that Story Mission belonged to Montezuma District. Another meeting of the same year, held at George Holland's home, west of Iowa Center, licensed J. J. Cole, N. Applegate, John Parker, E. Alderman and John Anderson. The officers for Story Mission had been, in 1854, William Simpson, presiding elder ; John Anderson, preacher in charge; Elisha Alderman, exhorter ; W. M. Allen and George Hestell, class-leaders, and Benjamin Cuyler, H. Alderman, W. H. Allen, Huper Parsons and W. W. Utterback, stewards. Other meetings followed, one in 1856 at Mr. Baker's, when Rev. J. L. Hestwood was the preacher in charge; one at Nevada, June 24, that relieved Richard Jenness as steward, and put Melburn Pettibone in his place; and one on the camp ground, near Iowa Center, where a new building had been erected. At meetings in 1857 it was decided that the mission was self-supporting, and Nevada was made a circuit' of the Upper Iowa Conference, with Rev. Joseph Cadwallader in charge. In