A Congregation Gone To Rest, Part 2

Pat Smith

How do you think these old church rules would go over today? Early in its history the church the Rossburg Baptist Church of Christ set “Rules of Decorum.” The eighth rule states, “No member shall be found whispering nor leave his seat without permission.”The tenth rule was, “Any member absenting themselves from two regular Church meetings the church shall appoint someone to visit and urge their attendance.”

Rumor had it that a Sister Kay had been absent from church for two Sundays and Brother William Freeland was sent to talk with her about that. When he went to see her she sent him packing telling him that she had indeed not been absent. It was decided that the church would still fellowship her.

Brother John Hollensbe voluntarily made confession of doing wrong and was unanimously forgiven by the church. One woman called for a letter of dismissal but “on account of some hardness toward some member the church refused to grant her request.” I couldn’t determine what that was about or what offence Brother Hollensbe had committed. Sister Ellen Land made acknowledgements of wrong doing by going to a dance and taking part. She asked forgiveness from the church which was granted.

When one member heard another member using foul language the church wasn’t so kind to him. He was written off the membership list. Others were written off for one sin or another but in spite of that the church had a huge membership for a number of years.

The “Abstract of Our Belief” included 14 clear and precise articles, each with a heading: Of the Scriptures, Of the True God, Of the Fall of Man, Of the Way to Salvation, of Justification, Of Freeness of Salvation, of Grace in Regeneration, Of God’s Purpose of Grace, Of the Perseverance of the Saints, Of a Gospel Church, Of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, Of the Christian Sabbath, Of the Righteous and the Wicked and Of the World to Come.

Last week I mentioned that the 1882 ‘Atlas of Decatur County and Lewis Harding’s 1915 History stated that the Rossburg Baptist Church was started in 1851 but the books of Bill Peters show clearly that the church was started in 1845. No doubt the members met in homes until the church, pictured elsewhere in today’s paper, was built. According to the books the church was built in 1851 and that’s when it became a member of the Whitewater Council. The March 1, 1851 minutes states, “Voted to build ameeting House in Rossburgh. Voted to build the house 40 by 30 ft. and 12 ft. high (a frame.) Voted to commit to the trustees the selection of a site for the house. Voted that Bro. Alexander assist the clerk (Bro Updike) to draw up subscriptions for the trustees. Voted to …obtain subscriptions to raise money to pay for the nails, glass, paints and stove.”

A woman was hired each year to clean and take care of the church. In 1875 the church agreed to pay Sister Davis ten dollars for one year and furnish the lamps in good repair and she was to furnish the oil. When one year was up, however, Sister Davis told the trustees that they still owed her $2.88. The problem was tabled until the next meeting.

The Old Rossburg Cemetery is one of the oldest in the county. Jennie Starks McKee wrote that there were an estimated 600 to 700 burials in Old Rossburg Cemetery by 1927. In 1956 only 367 headstones were legible enough to read and record. In the 1960s McKee asked James F. Smith at Smith Monument Works to erect a monument in the New Rossburg Cemetery, across the road from the Old cemetery, as a memorial to all the pioneers. The monument still stands in the cemetery as a reminder to us that pioneers settled this land we now call home. Imprinted on it are the words, “Memorial to Pioneers,” and “Aye I have a goodly heritage.” Mrs. McKee said the monument was about the movements of two people who forged westward in pioneer days but the memorial is about all of the pioneers that came. “They worked together and they died together and they were buried together.”

Last names of some members of the church and those buried in the cemetery include Hollensbe, Updike (Updyke), Williamson, Stapp, Martin, Land, Ferris, Farris, Osborn, Harding, Pennington, Wilson, Davis, Ashcraft, Barkley, Seright, Howe, Kirby, Richardson, Palmer, Alexander, Main, Lawrence.

The village of Rossville (changed to Rossburgh and later to Rossburg) was laid out in March 1836 by William Barkley. My thanks to Bill Peters and Frances Metz for sharing their information and picture about the church and cemetery.

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