WIXLIB

WARREN COUNTY GENEALOGICAL &HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONNewsletter201 Locust StreetWCGHA OFFICERSPresident:Cheryl W. MingleVice President:Marion Rhea SpeaksSecretary:Donna SullivanTreasurer:J.B. BrownPast President:Ann BrownOur office is located at201 Locust Streetin the lower level of theCounty Administrative Building1 September 2020 WCGHA NewsletterSeptember 2020McMinnville, TennesseeThe September 19, 2020Meeting ofWCGHAHAS BEENCANCELLEDIt’s been a while since we have been able togather for our monthly meeting. Actually, it’sbeen 6 months and sadly the September 19meeting will not be held.Stopping the spread of the Covid-19 virushas been a challenge for all of us. Please followthe guidelines set up to protect yourself andthose around you. Until a vaccine is found, thisis the only way we will stop it.I miss seeing everyone and am looking forwardto the next meeting.Continued prayers and concern for everyone.Cheryl Watson Mingle, WCGHA President

Come Visit UsCommitteeAnd ChairsDue to Covid-19Our office isPresently closedMembership:J. B. BrownCirculation Manager:Debra Wilcher McBrideRefreshments:Christine BouldinPrograms:Marion Rhea SpeaksResearch:Bonita MangrumOur normalhours areMonday&Friday9 a.m.-3 p.m.931-474-4227Email:wcgha.tn@gmail.comBulletin Editor:Mary OaksPosition OpenOffice:Newsletter Editor:andWCGHA’s Old WarrenCounty, TN FamilyHistory/PhotosHistorian:Ann BrownOn Facebook:Warren CountyGenealogical & HistoricalAssociationEvelyn Wade & Ann BrownDoyle SpeaksPublicity:On the Web:www.tngenweb.org/wcgatnBrad WalkerOur officeis located at201 Locust StreetMcMinnville, Tennesseein the lower level of theCounty AdministrativeBuildingPage 2

FROM YOUR EDITOR:Dear Members,I wish I could say I’m looking forward to our next meeting but, youguessed it, I don’t know when that will be.I’ve gotten so used to the social distancing that it doesn’t seem wewill ever have a get-to-gather with our friends, I miss that.I chose Shiloh United Methodist Church, located south-east on theBeersheba Hwy., for the second installment of Our Older Churches.It’s wonderful that the congregation is still active since itsorganization in 1806.The selection for Cemetery Art was brought to my attention by mywife who noticed it while on a drive through the Shellsford Cemetery.We often drive through area cemeteries looking for family Surnames.It’s unique and tells a great love story at the same time.The Cemetery Road Sign Project continues to dominate the activitywith the Association. J.B. and Ann Brown spear-headed this projectand have done an outstanding job with the first order of signscompleted. See story in this issue.A story about finding siblings with the use of social media can befound in the story “It truly is a small world”.Doyle Speaks, Newsletter EditorSpeaksanddm@aol.comPage 3

Phase 1Cemetery Road Sign Project Very SuccessfulAnn and J.B. Brown are pictured with some of the cemetery signs that arrived recently. They are in theprocess of setting up a date with the Warren County Road Maintenance Department to install the signs.By Ann BrownWe received donations for 20 road signs for our unmarked cemeteries in WarrenCounty. We had so much interest that we could not process all the requests by thedeadline for the special discount that we had obtained so we will have a Phase II in a fewmonths when we get this group installed. The Committee would like to thank everyonewho donated to this project. The Committee plans to distribute Certificates ofAppreciation to donors and place a copy of those certificates in each cemetery file toprovide a record of road signs that have been placed in the community.Phase 2 of this project will be announced at a later datePage 4

List of those who purchased signs in Phase 1CEMETERY ROAD SIGNS - PHASE IBailey CemeteryCardwell CemeteryCrisp CemeteryDouglas CemeteryEvans CemeteryFlatwoods CemeteryHammer CemeteryHash CemeteryJaco CemeteryJohnson CemeteryKell CemeteryLance CemeteryNeal CemeteryOld Philadelphia CemeteryOverton CemeteryRamsey CemeterySharon GammonBarbara BatesExtra DonationsMarie BlairRoger ArrickCheryl MingleSharon GammonDoyle SpeaksAllen JacoDonna SullivanSharon GammonBobby & Carolyn LanceVicki StonerMarion SpeaksGail WoodleeGlenda CantrellSanders CemeteryDewey & JoAnn CantrellIn Memory of Lee CantrellGlenda CantrellGlenda CantrellExtra DonationsShellsford CemeterySlaughter CemeteryStubblefield Cemetery on Stubblefield RdWeaver Cemetery UpdateA recent post (at left) aboutWeaver Cemetery raised somequestions about the laws andregulations regardingcemeteries that are located onprivate property. We havebeen in communication with aHistoric PreservationSpecialist-Cemeteries at the Tennessee Historical Commission. He has generouslyprovided documentation regarding Tennessee’s current laws governing cemeteries whichmay help to clarify issues. You can find links to these documents on our warren-county/. In addition to answeringmany questions about cemeteries and graves, the laws and requirements to move acemetery are clearly defined.Page 5

History of Our Older ChurchesSHILOHUNITEDMETHODISTCHURCHAttending church isan integral part of somany of our lives and Ifelt it would be good todo a series of historyfrom several of ourolder congregations.The churches chosenare in no certain orderand here is the first inthis new series for theNewsletter.Second in a seriesShiloh United Methodist Church began with theformation of a church called “The Head of CollinsRiver Church” on June 3, 1809. Elder Jesse Dodson,a well-known preacher of Warren and WhiteCounties assisted in its formation. The ShilohChurch organized originally as a Union Church bythe Primitive Baptists and Methodist.One of the early Baptist preachers in this sectionwas Henry J.A. Hill, from Edcomb County, NorthCarolina, who came to this areain 1802. He and his wife Susannah, soon afterlocating here, joined the Methodist Church.Founders of the Shiloh Church are not known butthe first members listed on an existing churchregister were James Clendenon, Sarah Clendenon,Thomas Brown, Sara Brown, Mary Brown, BarshaCoppinger, Absolom B. Brown, Russell Brown andEsther Morton.The church register from August 1835 until 1874lists 114 members. Some of those families(members) during this time were Bess, Bonner,Brown, Cagle, Coppinger, Dykes, Hill, McCollum,Madewell, Mooneyham, Tate, Ray, Sparks,Abernathy, Dugan, Cheeke, Bower, Nunley, Stepp,Meadows, Christian, Meeks, Scruggs, Mansfield,Rogers, Green, Killian, Turner and Roberts. At theclose of the conference year 1879-80 new familynames were added to this list: Walters, Williams,Turner, England, Stokes, Besheares, Speigle,Woodlee, Elkins, Hobbs, Smith, McCollum andMadewell.The mouth of the Spring Branch near the CollinsRiver was the site of the first building. This wasabout one-half mile south of the present building.The second building was near the residence of theContinued on next pagePage 6

SHILOH Continuedlate I.C. Scott on the Beersheba Highway. The twoacres of land for the church was given by EvanLawler and land for the cemetery, located adjacentto the church, was given by Frederick Stepp. Thepresent white stone structure was erected in 1954and sets a short distance behind the former building.It was stated by Jeanette T. Acklen (TennesseeTombstone Inscriptions) that Bishop Ashberryvisited Shiloh after its erection and that HenryWaterhouse preached at Shiloh when he was acircuit rider. He later became the president of Emeryand Henry Colleges. Among the early circuit riderswere Joseph G. Stephenson, A. W. Smith, I.C.Woodward, Jesse G. Rice and Joseph G. Myers.A partial list of some of the early pastors,assistant pastors and presiding elders (1845-1872)were A.M. Reams, Jno P. Hill, Jas Myers,Cincinnatus Meadows, Jno Comer and JohnAbernathy. Presiding Elders were Wm. Burr, Wm.Johnson, J.C. Putnam, R.P. Ransom, J.B. Anderson,F.E. Pitts, Adam Riggs and G.T. Henderson.As with most churches during this time period,trials were held for “Erring” members. Such trialswere held for five Shiloh members between theyears 1835-1909. Three members were dismissed in1873 for drunkenness. One member (female) wasexpelled for immoral conduct and one dismissed onApril 9, 1885 with no reason given.The Methodist Church encouraged young men togo into the ministry. Those young men, known asexhorters, began by preaching in their ownneighboring communities. They later becametraveling preachers and after proper study theybecame ministers of the Church. Some exhortersfrom Shiloh church were John W. Mansefield 1873,L.V. Brown 1909 , and J.B. Bonner 1909.Most church buildings served as their communityschools. According to Tom Barnes Records, Shilohwas “one of Warren County’s noted educationalinstitutions at the turn of the century.” Mrs. LemmaBarnes Walker attended the Shiloh School. She wasone of forty -four students listed on the 1904 honorroll for the school year ending on November 18,1904. Teachers at the school were Mrs. CarlieMeadows Etter, Miss Wagner, Rilla Etter Smith, andAthelia Barnes Peden.Families began to move from the communityafter the Civil War. Some members transferred tothe McMinnville Church, others to BeershebaSprings while other families moved to neighboringcommunities. This decreased the membership atShiloh.Shiloh United Methodist Church, after 211years, is still an active Church. Rev. DannyMoore is the present pastor. They meet eachweek on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for SundaySchool and at 11:00 a.m. for Worship Service.This article excerpted from the book “The Heritage ofWarren County, TN”., copyright 2005, The Warren CountyHeritage Book Committee and County Heritage, Inc. Used bypermission. Also excerpted from “Legacy of the Circuit Riders:The Methodist Churches of Warren County, TN”, compiled andedited by Larry C. Boyd and Copyrighted 1984 by Larry C.Boyd. Information for Shiloh United Methodist Church was froma historical sketch by Mr. and Mrs. H. Clay Barker.Used bypermission. Both books are available for purchase.The 2021 Picnic and Auction set for June 19Page 7

Cemetery ArtThis is true love to the endTombstone is in the Shellsford Cemetery located in theEastern part of Warren County.This is the third in a series of unique grave markers you willfind in some of our local cemeteries.Let me know if you run across one of interestPage 8