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MEMORIES OF MT. ZION M.E.
CHURCH
Carroll County, O.
Augusta Township
By Mrs. Amanda Burtsfield
I was only ten years old when the
house we now occupy was built. The Westons were here before my
people and I think were likely one of the families that started the
church, for Mother Weston would not be long in her new home until
she started at least a prayer meeting. From what I
can learn there were cottage prayer meetings. They
may have used the old Wesleyan Church which was very small and
somewhat dilapidated which stood northeast of the present building,
about where the Leyda and Hague burial plots are in the cemetery.
I only remember one of the members
of the Wesleyan Church, Wm. Morehouse, who donated his library to
the M.E. Church when he came into the church. It
was contained in an old fashioned hair trunk, and was thankfully
received, as they did not have much along that line in those days.
There were other families who moved
into this neighborhood, among them my father's family, John
Patterson. They came in 1827 and organized a
Methodist Episcopal church, and some time later built the old log
church which stood northwest of the present building, across the
road a few rods. It was built about 1840.
I do not know who the Charter members were, except the Weston and
Patterson families.
The burden bearers of the Church at
my first remembrance were: Mrs Grace Weston and son Francis, Mr. and
Mrs. Joseph Caskey, Mr. and Mrs Nosset Hannum, Mr. and Mrs Jacob
Leyda, Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Cassidy, Mr. and Mrs Cyrus Dennis, Mr. and
Mrs. Thos. Calerdine, Mr. and Mrs John Patterson, Mr. and Mrs. David
Stewart, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Weston, Mr.and Mrs. Levi Pennock, Mrs
Mary Ward, Mrs. Hart, mother of the late John Hart, Jas. Hyatt,
grandfather of W.G. Hyatt.
Through the years that have elapsed
since the time of those whom I have mentioned, the Church has
practically been kept up by the children and grandchildren of the
good old mothers and fathers and others who moved into the
neighborhood in earlier years.
I recall the names of the following
preachers in the old Church: Rev. Gilmore, Rev. Andrew Huston, Rev.
Fisher, Rev. Vail, Rev. McCall. Rev. McCall served
one year in the old church, with Henry Neff as Junior pastor, and
one year in the new church which is our present one built in 1859,
with Geo. Dennis, Junior Asst. Rev. Jas. Rogers came about the year
1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. Other
ministers who served later were: John Freshwater, W.H. Hamilton, H.C.
Huddleson, Jas. Bray, Sr. and Jr., O.R. Roller, Jimmy Russel, W.D.
Stevens, A.M. Scott, D.D. and John Hunter, Jos. Hollingshead, R.H.
Wright, A.C. Leggett, L. Weaver, E.P. Edmons, A.H. Keeler, A.M.
Billingsley, J.A. Rutledge, A.M. Merchant, J.A. Young, C.C. Chain,
A.A. Gilmore, A.W. Harris, T.H. Kerr, J.A. Hollingshead, Thos.
Taylor, R.N. Ball, W.M. Gamble, T.L. Carson, Wm.Gardner, Wm. Power,
Wm. Mitchell and J.F. Ellis.
Originally published in The Crossroads Genealogy Magazine Oct-Dec
1964
Submitted & transcribed by
Barb Zigenmeyer
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