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=Earliest Brethren=
==Grant Exclusives==
In an exclusives assembly address list for 1879, there is a meeting listed for Abilene with no contact information or location. By 1884, the Grant division had taken place, and it is presumed that some of the brethren became affiliated with that, and others eventually formed the TW-Lowe group.
==Tunbridge-Wells Exclusives==
From about 1894 thru 1973 there was an exclusive brethren family in Dickinson County, Kansas, Judson & Laura M. Bowker Alden. Judson was born around 1835 in New York, and employed as a carpenter by 1870 in Rockford, Illinois, and married Helen "Hattie" Hazard, who was was born in Rockford in 1850. They relocated to the Dickinson county area by the 1890's, and presumed to have setup an exclusive brethren table in their home which was located initially in Manchester from 1894 thru 1904, then there was an exclusive brethren split in 1908/1909 in which the Alden's were included in affiliating with the Tunbridge-Wells brethren (which is the largest exclusive brethren group in the United States today). The Alden's relocated to Talmage from 1908-1923, and Mrs. Alden continued as correspondent thru at least 1933, along with their daughter Grace Alden who continued as a contact for the TW brethren thru 1973 in Abilene.
Other early families included Roggendorff, Miller, and Jury. It is also believed that [[George Gruen]] may have been among the early saints also, who had relocated from the St. Louis area of Illinois to farm, who was involved with exclusive assemblies in the Highland, Illinois area. It is remembered that when George first came to Abilene, he settled with an established Grant exclusive meeting in the area, which may have been among those who eventually started Grace & Truth. It has been also recollected that in the early days of the Gospel Hall, the men and women were required to sit in separate areas during meetings.
===1918===
"There will be a conference of prayer and study of the word of God and preaching of the gospel in the Gospel Hall, two miles east of Bonaccord store, eight south and four miles west of Abilene, beginning Wednesday evening, Oct. 16, 1918, and continuing over the following Lord's Day. Hours for the meetings as follows: 11:00 a.m. bible study, 3:30 address, 9:00 preaching of the gospel. All are cordially invited."
The building was constructed by Noah Brubaker Martin (b. 1873 Chambersburg, [[Pennsylvania|PA - d. 1932 Abilene, KS), whose sister Barbara Brubaker Martin (b. 1869 Chambersburg, PA) married Harry Shelly Engle, Doug Engle's great-grandfather. Noah was a son of Elias Hershey Martin (b. 1835 Lancaster Co., PA - d. 1908 Abilene, KS) & Fanny Brubaker Martin (b. 1834 Elizabethtown, PA - d. 1907 Abilene, KS). Elias relocated from Elizabethtown to Chambersburg in 1868, then in 1881 to Abilene, and was a pastor in the River Brethren, his memorial was at Zion BIC in Abilene. In 1930, Noah and his 2nd wife Susie were residing in Ontario, San Bernardino, [[California|CA]].
* Noah B. Martin
** 1st wife (1899 @ Abilene, KS): Alice Rebecca Burkholder Martin (b. 1875 Quincy or Welsh Run, Franklin PA - d. 1918 Abilene, KS), daughter of Jacob W. Burkholder (b. 1840 Franklin Co., PA - d. 1904 Dickinson Co., KS), noted in his obit as "one of Dickinson's most prominent farmers", & Ella V. Powder Burkholder (b. 1849). * 2nd wife: Susie Ann Witter Martin (b. 1885 Enterprise, KS - d. 1956 Abilene, KS, daughter of John Jacob Witter (b. 1840 Baden Co., Germany - d. 1918 Abilene, KS) & Mary Ann Eisenhower Witter (b. 1849 Elizabethville, PA - d. 1893 Abilene, KS). Mary Ann was a sister of David Jacob Eisenhower (b. 1863 Elizabethville, PA - d. 1942 Abilene, KS), father of Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (b. 1890 Denison, TX - d. 1969 Washington D.C.), 34th president of the U.S.
===1919===
