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nIt10History of Old Concord ChurchIItAnd School Is Given at ReunionRjI*fellI*rti-yrr4IkiffinidridprieIIt*rfIfitItto1Cthillillyrrn*it. •-0.tiltoid 0#ft.ad1C*idonT0*eouft?e»msmethetheinty?'Myuldthistheiy*s0,The following account of th** history of the old Concord Church was written by Merrill Atkinson and read at the Wolfe Family reunion held at Concord recently.H| MI KHII L ATKINSON One of the many problems the early settlers had to tace a as the one of education. Early in the nineteenth century, perhaps not later than 1(19, a schoolhoua* was proposed at Concord as many children of the settlers w»re by that time oi school age. Christopher Herroid, then owner of the land, donated a lot and also material for the house whichwas located on the creek a half-mile south of the|church The property w«a later « quired by Stacy L Buyersf and |i* ettlljffn ownership of the |Bay t r# | fami,iyHI IJLT or LOONj| TheWfirst | school house pj wau»| builtnear the spot on which the later ones were built Ati tattlers within a radius of Mveral|mtleaiaa«$i*ted, it was made of round logs, the cracks being filled with mud, and a 'punch! eon floor was spilt from togs. A clapboard roof was held in place by weight poles. A large stone fireplace With I plenufuil-dogs:^ furnished;, theThe *eat*| and benches were ofcourse hand made We have been told that this building was also used for church purposes for many years until the church was built W« havenc date as to the time the church was fi occupied! but 1 Uncle| Frederic Wolfe who Inherited grandfather's estate and who went to Wisconsin in the fifties, told me, that all their family got their education at thi» house and he could well remember attending many churchservices there Tnere was no schoolfund so the teachers were hired in the community. Bister Mary Wolfe, who later married Peter Howard and moved to Oregon Ridge, taught many terms of school there The tea. hers were ipald lf|j|S the § parents Off the! students School books were scarce but most of the settlers* had brought book#! with! them and§th*sfi weref used carefully by the children and passed| along jjjjtoj the younger chil* dren, Me g ?..;:gp8| -fj|J|Uncle Fred, wlio mo born in 1*12, [said ha wall remembered when the church was built. 9Sj j 1 :|p.'§BtRIED IN (EMETERI II The|flrat cemetery|m a• started on the knoll a | short distance northwest of tha present one. The markers were made of native sandstoneand the ravages of time have almostobliterated the epitaphs.Many years ago the three members of grandfather s family whose bodies were buried there were removed to tha north side of the present cemetery* The epitaph# onthese markers are In memory ofJohn Wolf son of G and J *Jane Wolfe, who died Sept 1. 1«7 *ged 2d years 4 month*” In memory of Polly Wolfe, daughter of G and JWolfe, who died Oct 10 1K27 aged17 year# 5 months, In memory of the wife of Morris Bryson and her twin children Sept 1*31 in the 28th year of her age*. Wt think Urn la John was the first buried fi the old cemetery We have heard them tellshout the strange diaea^,, that visit, odjtfcat viniuty in l«7 and we setthat two of grandfather* family,my Uncle John and Aunt Pally, died only a few| weeks apart and many oth. r famine* had deaths about the «ama time, It is now thought thsfthia|waa a typhoid epidemic.We have heard Unde Fred say thatp forlmany years their neighbor on the west was « msn named JohnTipple, who had a large family and Ighavec heard Uncle Joseph Tipple who | married my mother a slider, Anna Wiikmi, say that he was born44o711P1Ti vipMr Tipple sold his f»rm to Wil-lism Mason. Sr.. who kept th# farm in th# family for many year* At . present it belongs to th# Harman Kaaltr family Th# wlf* of Morrl# lrry»on m*»ntion#d abov# was Pachel Wilkin*, daughter of Francis and Elisabeth * Martin) Wilkins who wa* bom March 10, 1*04, married to Morns Bryson In May 1*38 and died In1S31n|MTaSWhen the community realised the need for a church and cemetery Mr 1 Mason donated a generous tract for them At a meeting of the cftlsens a site w*a,« selected and arrangements were made to start building the c hurch There| was! a water-power sawmill a short distance down the creek and choice timber grew ahiin dantly all around. Tha members took the logs to the mi!! and brought back the lumbar which was all band dressed as it was used Uncle Fred «aid his father and Mr Her roldgwere both good carpenter* and did much of the work on the church in which they took great interest. Tallow candles were us. d Jfler many vears and were furnished by the community as a whole but wereunder the r«r* of Billy Manon who was alw'avs ready to lend a helping hand As soon a* oil was Introducedsuitable lamps were pia ed in thechurchcjf|§! i * ''|||A*|inear as |we||can learn the churchjjwa* finished about the year 1*40, The fitst burial in the new cemetery! was that of the grand* mother of Billy lt;William M i on, Mrs. E)iaabeth Johnson wife of James Johnson, J:who died July 211*41 in the seventy-third year of her age.tlhbawnyhA%bbaaTahnChci11ofVarsitv-Rosc
Newspaper Details
Athens Sunday Messenger
Athens, Ohio, US
Sun, Oct 21, 1934
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
WA, USA 19 Jul 2021
Other Publications Near Athens, Ohio
Athens Messenger
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