Big Cedar Baptist Church and Burying Ground
Encyclopedia
Big Cedar Baptist Church and Burying Ground is located on Big Cedar Creek Road, between the road to Reily and the Oxford Pike, in Springfield Township, Franklin County, Indiana
. Big Cedar was an arm or branch of the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church
, which was the first church constituted in the Whitewater River
Valley, by Elder William Tyner, who had come with colony from Virginia
about 1797.
The Baptist
church on Big Cedar in the state of Indiana, Franklin county and
Springfield Township, with 13 members, was constituted Saturday Sept. 13, 1817
and assumed the title of Big Cedar Grove Church. In May 1819 they decided to build a meeting house. Job Stout and William Hetrick each deeded one acre
of land for the church and burying ground. The first meetings of this church were held at the home of Job and Rhoda Stout (daughter of Abner Howell
). The first church was a log cabin
, in 1824 they agreed to finish the walls with wood and clay.
In May 1835 they began talking of a better church building and decided to
make it of brick
. Bricks were made near the site. The money for it was raised by subscription. They bought a stove in October, and in December 1837 the first service was held in this building. According to the records 214 different persons helped pay for the church.
A division occurred in the membership from 1869 to 1871 on the mission subject. In April 1870 the members found the church doors barred, bolted, and locked and held their meetings in the church yard and grove until November 1870 when they met at the residence of Deacon Samuel Goudie (son of James B. Goudie Jr.
) and did so for the next seven meetings. The matter went to court, where a settlement was made dividing the time between the two factions. One group was given the first and third Sundays, the other group meeting the second and fourth Sundays. Each faction was to pay half the expenses of keeping the church in repair.
Each was to furnish their own wood for fuel and lights.
The history of the burying ground as they always called it, was all the time
connected with the business of the church. It is not known sure who was first buried
here, for so many graves have no mark, but the oldest inscription on a tombstone
is of John Hetrick, a child who died in 1820. The Big Cedar Grove Cemetery Association was formed April 1899. In 1901 the church transferred all her interest in the graveyard to that association.
This church was disbanded, September 12, 1959. The cemetery is still active today and the church building is now maintained by the Big Cedar Cemetery Association.
Franklin County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,151 people, 7,868 households, and 6,129 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile . There were 8,596 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
. Big Cedar was an arm or branch of the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church
Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church
Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church was organized in 1797 by some of the early Primitive Baptist settlers of Franklin County, Indiana. The current church building, constructed in 1812, is the oldest church still standing in Indiana.-Organization:...
, which was the first church constituted in the Whitewater River
Whitewater River (Indiana)
The Whitewater River is a tributary of the Great Miami River in southeastern Indiana and southwestern Ohio in the United States. It is formed by the confluence of two forks, the West Fork and East Fork....
Valley, by Elder William Tyner, who had come with colony from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
about 1797.
The Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church on Big Cedar in the state of Indiana, Franklin county and
Springfield Township, with 13 members, was constituted Saturday Sept. 13, 1817
and assumed the title of Big Cedar Grove Church. In May 1819 they decided to build a meeting house. Job Stout and William Hetrick each deeded one acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
of land for the church and burying ground. The first meetings of this church were held at the home of Job and Rhoda Stout (daughter of Abner Howell
Abner Howell
Captain Abner Howell served as a Captain in the Third Company Third Battalion, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Militia during the American Revolutionary War....
). The first church was a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
, in 1824 they agreed to finish the walls with wood and clay.
In May 1835 they began talking of a better church building and decided to
make it of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
. Bricks were made near the site. The money for it was raised by subscription. They bought a stove in October, and in December 1837 the first service was held in this building. According to the records 214 different persons helped pay for the church.
A division occurred in the membership from 1869 to 1871 on the mission subject. In April 1870 the members found the church doors barred, bolted, and locked and held their meetings in the church yard and grove until November 1870 when they met at the residence of Deacon Samuel Goudie (son of James B. Goudie Jr.
James B. Goudie Jr.
James B. Goudie Jr. James Goudie Jr. son of James Goudie and Rachel Liggett. James Sr. was of Northern Irland and Rachel was of Chester County. Pa. James Goudie Jr...
) and did so for the next seven meetings. The matter went to court, where a settlement was made dividing the time between the two factions. One group was given the first and third Sundays, the other group meeting the second and fourth Sundays. Each faction was to pay half the expenses of keeping the church in repair.
Each was to furnish their own wood for fuel and lights.
The history of the burying ground as they always called it, was all the time
connected with the business of the church. It is not known sure who was first buried
here, for so many graves have no mark, but the oldest inscription on a tombstone
is of John Hetrick, a child who died in 1820. The Big Cedar Grove Cemetery Association was formed April 1899. In 1901 the church transferred all her interest in the graveyard to that association.
This church was disbanded, September 12, 1959. The cemetery is still active today and the church building is now maintained by the Big Cedar Cemetery Association.