Second Reformed Church
Pekin, Illinois
1876-1945 Records
Pekin’s Second Reformed Church was organized July 26, 1874, by a group of German immigrants. Some sources indicate 15 charter members but the church's website stated 54.
For the first two years, the members met in various homes and buildings. The services were conducted in German.
1876
The congregation's first and only building was constructed in 1876 at 600 State Street—on the block bordered by North 6th, North 8th, State, and Catherine Streets.
The building has undergone numerous renovations, remodeling, and additions over the years—yet, the original 1876 structure has always endured.
Early improvements included installing the bell in 1887, replacing the oil stoves with a gas heating system, and later replacing the kerosene lights with electric ones.
Later renovations included a new Hinners organ that was installed in 1903, a basement that was added in 1929, and an educational wing that was completed in 1959. A complete renovation took place in 1974, and the church acquired a new organ, air conditioning system and elevator in the 1990s. In 2006, six new classrooms were added to the church.
But with all the renovations and modernizations that have taken place over 145 years, Second Reformed retained some of the church's original features such as the tin ceiling in the sanctuary and the original bell with its German inscription, ‘THE LORD IS SUN AND SHIELD' continued to peal from the bell tower.
1974
2019
Unfortunately, attendance slowly started dwindling with the dawn of the new century. At one point, the church had almost 200 members. Eventually, as few as 30 people attended the service. Sadly, low congregation numbers led to the decision to discontinue the church.
After 145 years, the historic Second Reformed Church held its last service on November 24, 2019.
The building remained empty for several years but was saved from potential destruction late in 2023 when it became the home of Gethsemane Church.
You may search an online index to the Second Reformed Church records below. The index covers the 1876-1945 records. More years will be added to the index as transcriptionists continue indexing. Here are some tips on how to do searches.
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| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Last Name | Given Name | Maiden Name | Event | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | Beverly June | Baptisms | 84 | |
| 2 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | Beverly June | Membership | 341 | |
| 3 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | Lucille | Bruder | Membership | 341 |
| 4 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | Patricia Ann | Baptisms | 84 | |
| 5 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | Patricia Ann | Membership | 341 | |
| 6 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | Richard Louis | Baptisms | 84 | |
| 7 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | Richard Louis | Death/Burials | 264 | |
| 8 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | William Fred | Baptisms | 84 | |
| 9 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | William Fred | Membership | 341 | |
| 10 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Adcock | William Fred, Jr. | Membership | 341 | |
| 11 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Anni J. (Mrs) | Marriages | 151 | |
| 12 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Antje | Membership | 352 | |
| 13 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Barnhard A. | Death/Burials | 247 | |
| 14 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Bernhard Andreas | Baptisms | 18 | |
| 15 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Heinrich Gerhard | Baptisms | 24 | |
| 16 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Henry | Membership | 331 | |
| 17 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Henry Gerald | Marriages | 163 | |
| 18 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | Johann Bernhard | Baptisms | 13 | |
| 19 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | John | Death/Burials | 250 | |
| 20 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailts | R. Henry | Membership | 357 | |
| 21 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailtz | Berend | Membership | 352 | |
| 22 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailtz | child of Berend (death) | Baptisms | 5 | |
| 23 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailtz | daughter of Berend (death) | Baptisms | 7 | |
| 24 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Ailtz | Johann Bernhard | Baptisms | 10 | |
| 25 | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Mike | 24 Jun 2024 10:15 AM | Alberts | Jennie | Marriages | 165 | |
| Last Name | Given Name | Maiden Name | Event | Page |
Search Tips:
- The index covers church records from 1876-1945.
- The table contains five columns: Last name, Given Name, Maiden Name, Event, and the matching Page in the records book.
- The table starts in Last Name, Given Name order. Any column may be sorted by clicking on the column title. Each click will reverse the order between ascending or descending.
- Don't forget the records were in German. So, you want to search for your ancestor's German name as well as American name - for instance, search for Johann as well as John.
- English translations were done by John Garlisch.
- Question marks in an entry mean the transcriber made a guess but was not sure of the interpretation of the handwritten entry.
- Information in parentheses were made by the transcriptionist.
- As you enter criteria into a search box, the display will automatically change to show only matching rows.
- Use the Search Box at the upper right to search the entire table. For example, if you enter "Heinrich", the display changes to those rows that contain a Last Name containing "Heinrich" or a Given Name containing "Heinrich" and/or a Maiden Name containing "Heinrich"
- Use the boxes at the bottom of each column to limit your search only to that column's content. Suggested uses:
- Last Name - limits the rows displayed to just the last names you want. It is useful when you are not sure of the spelling. For instance, to search for possible last name spellings of Ailts, by entering only "Ail" you might find more spelling variations of the name.
- First Name – limits the rows displayed to just those first names you want. Handy when there are several variations of a last name but you are sure of the first name's spelling. Or, if you are sure of the Last Name but not the spelling of the First. For example, you may look for all variations in the name Johann by just searching First Name by entering "Joh" which would list any first name starting with the letters Joh.
- Event - only show info for the event you are looking for such as "Death/Burials"
- Page – if you wanted to know everyone who was listed on the same page as your ancestor, you could filter to just one-page number.
- Combination - by placing criteria into multiple boxes you can do more sophisticated searches such as all folks with Last Name "Ailts" whose First Name contains "B".
- Don't forget to use the clear filters button above the upper search box to clear any earlier searches or you may get unexpected results!
