CHURCHES OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
From Atlas of Palo Alto County
Compiled 1969 by Title Atlas Company; Minneapolis, Minnesota

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

     The Emmetsburg Seventh Day Adventist Church was organized on Aug. 20, 1876, at a meeting in the Thomas Peterson home, Lost Island Township, with Pastor John Hanson officiating. In 1878, the church was admitted to the Iowa Conference and, in 1882, the name was changed to the Ruthven Seventh Day Adventist Church, where meetings were held in a new building just east of the now Lutheran Church, across the track on the south side of the road.
     Records show the membership to be 98 in 1898. In 1906, lightning struck and everything was completely destroyed by fire. A lot was purchased across from the Ruthven school and an new church constructed in 1907; with a little remodeling and much upkeep, services are still held there.
     In 1939, a church school was erected several blocks north of the church and, for 25 years, most of the children were educated there up thru the 10th grade. A number of these are nurses, teachers, ministers and missionaries.
     The names Larsen, Jensen, Anderson, Nelson, Rasmusson, Adamson, Knutson, Johnson, Peterson, Hansen, and Oleson are common on the records. Until 1896, all services were held and kept in the Danish-Norwegian language.
     Some local leaders were: John Hanson, P.A. Hanson, J.P. Frederickson, John Anderson, Julius Johnson, Ole Nelson, O.B. Nelson, as well as Clare Betts, Dr. A.G. Larsen, and Howard Hansen.
    Pastors residing over the Ruthven and Spencer Churches have been J.A. Nordstrom; L. Holley; H.R. Coats; R. Caviness, H. H. White; Adam Rudy; Pastors Bidwell, Davis, and Jones. More recently Pastors Larsen, McLean, Wellman, Miller and Hurst have served.