W. B. Stevens, minister

STEVENS, PARKS

Posted By: Max G. Kearse (email)
Date: 8/27/2005 at 11:20:19

Bro. W. B. (William Buel) Stevens was the first pastor of the Moulton Church of God (Holiness) began in the early twenties. We know a bit of his life history, but are looking for any further information that might be remembered.

(There was a different W. B. Stevens in the 1878 App. Co History Book on p 544.)

Page 55 of The Chronicle of Moulton, Iowa (1976) shows a picture of the first building used by the denomination in Moulton.

He was born in Scotland County MO on 11 Mar 1862 and died at the home of Martha and Ed Parks in Moulton on 9 Dec 1943. His wife, Molly (Mary J. Anderson of Adair Co MO) had preceeded him in death in 1940.

Willie and Molly traveled to ten states preaching and holding schools to teach singing. His song that has remember the longest, "Farther Along", copyrighted in 1937 with J.R. Baxter, expresses a special kind of faith when there is no knowledge. By my count on the AMG website it has been recorded 211 times in recent years -- from Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley and Doc Watson to Blackwood Brothers, Brad Paisley, and many others.

Does anyone remember anything about their five children? Or any details about this family? Please consider emailing me any recollections that may exist in your family of this old preacher who was almost forgotten.

Thanks