Errett, Joseph J.

Born: 1815-10-17 New York, New York

Died: 1880-09-14 Pike County, Missouri

Flourished: Pike County, Missouri

Errett was a leading figure in the Restoration Movement (Christian Church, Church of Christ) in Missouri. Errett's father died while he was a young boy, and he subsequently moved with his mother from New York to Pennsylvania. In 1833, he became a convert of the Church of Christ, which set the tone for his future career. In 1839, he married Rachel Davis, with whom he had three children. In 1839, he and his wife moved to Palmyra, Missouri, where he resided until 1852, when he removed to Paynesville, Missouri, becoming the pastor of the Christian Church, a position he held until his death. Under his pastorate, the Paynesville church flourished, as Errett officiated 206 wedding ceremonies, baptized 2,174 persons, and accepted 475 new members by transfer of letter. Between 1858 and 1860, Errett also preached monthly at the Christian Church of Louisiana, Missouri. In 1859, he helped organize a church in Ashley, Missouri. In 1860, Errett owned real estate valued at $1,000 and had a personal estate of $530. Errett was the older brother of Russell and Isaac Errett.

Gravestone, Greenwood Cemetery, Clarksville, MO; The History of Pike County, Missouri (Des Moines, IA: Mills, 1883), 557, 662, 823; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Calumet, Pike County, MO, 187.