The Disciples of Christ in Antebellum Indiana: Geographical Indicator of the Border South

Abstract

The Disciples of Christ originated in the Ohio River Valley of the border South in the early 19th century. Based on the distribution of the Disciples in Indiana in 1845 and 1860, it is apparent the group settled largely in that portion of the state which was border South in heritage. This belies the model which argues that central Indiana was an area of great cultural mixture, and supports the alternative model which proposes that north-central Indiana remained an extension of Pennsylvania-Midland culture, with little southern influence.