History of Montgomery County IllinoisVolII -- 1918
Bateman.
p.627
Rev. James Street. Baptist churches. “Both these churches were under the pastorate of Rev. James Street who preached the first sermon ever delivered within the bounds of the county.”p. 653
Nicholas Lockerman, the first man to marry in the county, Rev. James Street performing the ceremony.p. 666
It has already been said in these pages that Rev. James Street preached the first sermon ever delivered in Montgomery County. It was preached in 1820 and at the home of David McCoy near where the Cler Springs Church was afterwards built. He was a Baptist and like all Baptists of the old school of his day, he assumed a monotonous, weird sing song tone in his speaking, which at once was both awesome and dolorous and calsulated to make an impression not easy to forget. We will mention one instance that will illustrate the influence these preachers had over the sinful. A man named Lockerman who lived not far from Mr. Street,was found to be living with a woman to whom he was not maried, and they were the parents of three children. Mr. Street managed to get Mr. Lockerman to come to his place and help him do some whork in his cornfield, and improving the opportunity to talk with him privately, he pointed out the enormity of the wrong he was doing toward his Maker and his children so forcibly that Lockerman agreed to marry at once, and the woman was sent for and the marriage ceremony performed in the conrfield and the evil doers entered upon a new and more commendable alliance for life.p. 943
The marriage of Mr. Lockerman, by Rev. James Street, in his cornfield, under dramatic circumstances, is said to have been the first marriage in the county.Return to Picture of Martha Street