The Intro to the Book "Winesburg, Ohio, Birth Records 1833-1897" publihed by the Holmes County Chapter of OGS in 1993 follows. This was scanned then OCR'd, a quick check did not show errors. But if found they are not my typo's. Bob Strock THE HISTORY OF ZION CHURCH AT WINESBURG Holmes County was settled in the decade between 1820 and 1830, and many German and Swiss immigrants began moving into the eastern portion of the county, inspired by the beauty of the rolling hills, the huge trees, the crystal springs and the rich soil. History credits four young "bachelors", arriving from Philadelphia, PA., with being the first to settle on the site where "Weinsburg" was officially laid out in 1832. On September 3, 1832, a meeting was held for the purpose of discussing a plan for a church. Land was donated by Christian (Schmidt) Smith for a church and cemetery, at the present site. The next meeting was held on September 9th, and a congregation was organized under the name, Evangelical United Zion Congregation, to serve Swiss Reformed and German Lutheran Christians in and about the Winesburg area. Peter Schallioll offered the use of his stone house, located one mile west of town, to hold services until a church building could be erected. These services were held whenever neighboring pastors or circuit riders could be obtained. Rev. William Smith, one of the "four bachelors", preached the first sermon. Other services were sometimes. conducted by Rev. Henry Colloredo, a circuit-riding pastor, who lived between Baltic and New Bedford, and walked the 20 miles to Winesburg every four to six weeks to minister to the new congregation. The cornerstone for the first church building was laid on October 11, 1833, but it was not completed and dedicated until 1841. Rev. Colloredo had been elected to be the church's first pastor, and served until 1836. He was succeeded by the Rev. Daniel Cranz, who pastored the growing congregation for 32 years. The baptism records he and his successors, through Rev. Anton Eiermann, were translated from the German and compiled by Marguerite Dickenson. In 1869, the congretation voted to build a new structure on the site of the old. During construction, services were held in the school. About 4,000 visitors were present for the dedication on Sept. 24th and 25th, 1871. The new building served the congregation well for many years. A major renovation in 1949 expanded the basement to include classrooms, a kitchen and restrooms. In 1955 the sanctuary was renovated, adding stained glass windows. Since that time the steeple has been replaced. In 1934, Zion Church merged with the "Reformed Churches of America", and became the "Evangelical and Reformed" churches. In 1957 the "Congregational Christian" churches were added to become "The United Church of Christ". The current pastor is Rev. Walfred Scofield. Nancy Helvey wrote: > > Hi List, > > Could someone please tell me what the Zion Church in Holmes CO. was > (affiliation)? It was located in Winesburg. > > Thanks, > Nancy Helvey -- Bob & Esther Strock, Dalton, OH. On the edge of Amish Country. Researching family history in Holmes, Medina, Stark, Summit, Wood, Wayne and other Counties of Ohio. Sponsor member of Rootsweb and listowner of Strock-L, Uhl-L, and Welday-L message lists. GenConnect Family Association boards: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/Strock http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/Uhl http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/surnames/w/e/WELDAY/queries