Springfield, Ill. church formed in 1821 by Charles Matheny leading classes in his home, and later moved to its current location when the land was given to Peter Cartwright, by Pascal Enos, to be used for a church and with Joseph Edmondson as its first pastor in residence in 1834. From 1838-1839 the church was used by the state senate while the capitol building was being completed. In 1857 the church elders voted in favor of renting pews. In 1884 the stone church that is still in use was erected and legally became the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Springfield, Ill. In 1939 at the Methodist Conference in Texas, several factions of the church united to become the Methodist Church of the United States. Shortly after that the Springfield church became the First United Methodist Church, dropping the Episcopal from its name.
From the description of Records, 1836-1927. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 49047508
