Comments on "Hopewell and Madison Township Cemeteries" - pp. 10-15Dean Harkness is reviewing and updating "Hopewell and Madison Township Cemeteries" - pp. 10-15. Published by the Perry County Chapter of the OGS. And I am also refering to Anna Maude Bowser 1877-1951 and the Jonathan Creek Brethren. This family history by Arthur H.Laube and B.J. Clark Laube, November, 2000, is in the OGS chapter's library at New Lexington and Mansfield. Dean - We are delighted that you are taking an interest in the so called Eversole Cemetery. If it is ever restored we would like to make a pitch for it to be renamed the Scofield Cemetery. In the Bowser family history page 196 a map reflects the fact that Elijah owned a quarter section, where the cemetery is located, in the early 1800's. As the Brethren minister who probably organized and led the neighbors who lived nearby, he no doubt buried some of them in his cemetery - even though later on they had a church building six miles or so distant in Mt. Perry. In our story of the Bowsers we speculate that Jacob Bowser and his son John who died in in the 1820's are probably buried there. Both widows and two of John's sons lived out their lives within a stones throw and we can see them - especially the widows walking to that shady knoll and resting a spell beside their husbands. There are no stones or other records to prove that story - but it is very real in our hearts -- This was the Jonathan Creek Brethren. The Scofield family arrived about 1810. Elija paid taxes in 1810 on his property - where he soon began a burial ground. Elijah Scofield owned the SE Quarter of section 1, where the cemetery is located. The Eversoles arrived a year or so later. In 1814, Peter purchased the west half of section1 - and as Dean points out, later they owned all of section 1 and the cemetery. Here is an excerpt from Page 78 of our family history story-- Elijah Scofield of the Flintstone Gap area, Allegany County, Maryland, was the husband of Ann Willison - from a Methodist family. The nearest Brethren congregation was a group of settlers along nearby Wills Creek. They never had a church building and were not able to be of much financial help when 22-year-old Elijah, in 1798, organized a group of Brethren to relocate to Ohio. He was soon joined by Daniel Snider who was also a Brethren minister. Later, Daniel's son, Jacob, also served the Jonathan Creek community as a Brethren minister. Elijah's Brethren settled in a large area in Ohio, and Elijah was well known as far west as Rush Creek, which is a tributary of the Hocking River. He encouraged other Brethren ministers to join him, and in 1809 Jacob Staley became the minister at Rush Creek.. Although the Jonathan Creek and Rush Creek congregations are the only ones named in the local or church histories, there is good reason to believe that Elijah, aided by other ministers like Daniel Snider, Jacob Snider and Jacob Staley, explored and ministered to Brethren living along Rush Creek and the larger tributaries of the Muskingum River: Jonathan Creek, the Licking River, the Walhonding River, the Tuscarawas River and Wills Creek. Elijah served this very large area of early Ohio for 38 years. For the first 12 years his growing family remained at Flintstone Gap in Pennsylvania. With Jesus the Christ as their example, these Brethren lived their lives so that their souls might one day return to God. Elijah Scofield died in 1836, Daniel Snider died in 1866 and his son, Jacob Snider, also a minister died in 1851. Although Anna Maude Bowser Orr (1877-1951) knew none of them, her character was preordained by the Brethren and their ministers who lived along Jonathan Creek in Perry and Muskingum County, Ohio, in the first-half of the 18th century. This is Betty Jean Clark Laube's (BJ) story of her maternal grandmother and as it is told one will see that Anna Maude was surrounded by Scofield and Snider descendants and other Brethren. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Also noted elsewhere in our family history- the first Brethren of the Jonathan Creek Community had no church building. Neither in Newton Township nor in Hopewell Township was their a building until 1816. It was there custom to meet in their homes and there were no doubt deaths that occurred before the church building in Mt. Perry was errected. The minister buried some of them on the once beautiful knoll overlooking a babbling brook, on his farm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dean asked about the Cheney stones. In September, 2000, Donald W. Nazelrod donald@alleganyinternet.net e-mailed me about this family. He reported that Elemuel was the son of Isaac Cheney and his wife, Lucy, of Murley's Branch Settlement, Allegheny County, Maryland, where Elemuel was born. (from memory I think I recall correctly that there were no known Brethren congregations in Murley's Branch, at that time. However, the presence in this cemetery of Elemuel and his daughter, Lucy, suggest that this Ohio family were Brethren - and Lucy was no doubt ministered unto and buried by Reverend Elijah Scofield in his farm cemetery. In 1850 the Cheneys lived across the nearby township line in Madison. He also may have owned property in Licking County. Elemuel's wife, Nancy North, was the daughter of George North, also of Murley's Branch. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In reviewing this with BJ, she noted the name North. In 1856 Ohio began collectiing taxes that they used for building school houses. By 1861 (from memory) the Hopewell trustees had erected six. Jockey Hollow was given the number One and we assume it was first. Not far away is North Star. BJ has always wondered why that name? Perhaps Nancy North Cheney had a little money she could call her own or other influence - unusual but it did happen. She lived nearby in 1850. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dean asked about the stones of Elijah and his son - they were reported by Barbara Jones from and an earlier reading. I have a copy of that original reading - sometme before 1851 - and from the way they are listed it seems likely that the Scofield stones were between Jane Eversole's stone-died 1896, and Joseph Plank's stone. I do not recall seeing them and made no note of them. ```````````````````````` I do have picture of the Hannah Cover stone - sitting upright in the creek. It reads " wife of Samuel Cover." By the way she is mentioned in the history of the Berachah Brethren church - which was nearby - as the major contributor to its building fund. There was a Cover researcher a few years back who wrote the Perry County chapter concerning this family. `````````````` As you note Mary (Bowser) Eversole, your gr-gr-grandmother, is buried their with her 4 young children. We did not know where her husband David was buried and you now add that "he was a Civil War veteran (Roster of Ohio Soldiers) who, in 1875, owned the property on which the cemetery sits. .... After Mary died, he married again. The Eversole Family Bible recorded that David married E.J. Atwell in 1887. .... He later moved into Mt. Perry. ... (died 1821) His body now rests by his 2nd wife in the Mt. Perry Methodist Church cemetery." (Yes, I see their listing in row 5 of section A - that old cemtery has both Brethren and Methodist burials - in other sections there are some more recent Presbyterians - sort of ecumenical.) Dean I hope you can help my wife resolve a litle mystery: BJ recalls that her mother, Ada, took her as a child to visit several times with Aunt Tillie Eversole in Mt.Perry. Mary Bowser Eversole was first-cousin of Ada's great-grandfather, Henry Bowser. Mary's children would not have been an aunt but they are possibilities. The visits occurred in the middle or late 1820's and Aunt Tille was fifty or maybe older. BJ also recalls that her paternal grandfather, Elmer Clark, also called on her. Elmer was for years a beloved Sunday School Superindentent of the Mt. Perry Methodist Church - yes they who bought the Brethren church building in 1837 - the year Elijah died. I believe Elmer taught in the building that is still there. Dean maybe you will have a Christmas present for BJ - she has been wondering about this childhood memory for at least 20 years. Best reagds to you Dean and to the lists....